Co-Rehabiliation
by Dorian-Express
Summary: This Fanfic is what I want to happen after the Manga ending. It's a simple story of friends who meet in college, hang out together, study together, and mature together. Lighthearted Asuka X Shinji. Enjoy. New Update will come every Friday from now on! Chapter 10 is going to be the end, this was a fun test run. My next series will be called Community! Pardon my fickleness.
1. Chapter 1

Neon Genesis Evangelion and everything in this fic are the properties of their owners and creators. I own none of this - this is for recreation.

First fanfic I've ever written. I write this based off the Manga ending, not the NGE/Rebuild endings. Thanks guys.

Chapter 1: The First Semester is Bulking Semester.

The library was dead silent. One would assumed it was finals week, but it was not. It was the second week of school at Tokyo University. Apparently, there were already 3 suicide attempts. It was, honestly, quite depressing. Here our hero, Ikari Shinji, walked in, ready to tackle his biology homework. He told himself he loved being a student at Tokyo University, but in all honesty, he did not love it. Quite the opposite, he hated it. He hated the work. He hated some of the students. He hated his roommate. Just a black guy from Jamaica, who smoked pot all day. Shinji knew that if he told people, it would sound a weebit racist, but this guy was toked up each and every single day. Luckily, for Shinji, Jamal got high elsewhere. Shinji hated the smell of marijuana more than anything. That is not to say Shinji hated pot, Shinji tried it and he was rather ambivalent towards it. He quickly noted that after smoking pot, his music sounded even better.

Shinji walked past the huge shelves of books and into the elevator section. He hit the Up button on the elevator and waited. *Beep Beep Beep* Shinji looked at his watch impatiently. Finally, the elevator doors opened. But as soon as he took a step forward, he got blindsided by a shoulder that made contact with his sternum. Shinji's ass hit the ground with a resounding thump! It was definitely bruised.

"...F..f.." Syllables tried to escape his mouth, but he was winded. He looked as the young man got off the ground and ran out the door. What a jerk! Once Shinji caught his breath, he picked himself off the ground. He sighed as he rubbed his bruised chest. Shinji couldn't help but think that if he were bigger, that he could have taken the brunt of that attack without so much as flinching. 'Maybe I should bulk. I've heard a lot of people say that the gym is empty all the time' Shinji thought to himself, but his thought was interrupted by a light tapping on his shoulder.

Shinji turned around to see a pretty cute girl. What was the japanese word for that? Kawaii, was it? Yeah, Shinji thought she was kawaii as hell. Her brunette hair, tied in a long ponytail, was up to his shoulder. Shinji looked her in the face, and he noticed her light brown freckles. Next, he saw her eyes. No, they were not some magnificent, bright eyes that you would expect the main character to fall in love with. Just regular brown eyes. Shinji could have sworn he knew her from somewhere.

"I saw you get tackled and fall. I just want to see if you're okay" the girl inquired. After watching a plethora of anime in high school, Shinji thought she would have been soft-spoken, like a little princess. But, animes don't compare to real life.

"Yeah, what an ass. But, yeah, I'm fine" Shinji quickly added, "Thanks". To be honest, although Shinji was by no means unattractive, he did not have much experience with girls. Even after he grew like 5 inches during the summer of '12, girls still didn't talk to him. Probably had something to do with his anti-social behavior. Shinji had never really made an effort to socialize, he was more inclined to doing well in school.

"That's great. I know him, you can totally get him back!" the girl said, with a devious smile on her face. 'Jesus fucking christ, I don't know what to say!' Shinji thought to himself, 'No, wait, introduce yourself!'

"Uhhhh, I rather not try to get into a brawl. I'm Ikari Shinji, by the way" Shinji joked, extending his hand. The brunette smiled and shook his hand. She smiled at him and Shinji could swear his heartbeat increased by like 5 beats a second.

"My name is...Batman." She replied in a husky, Christian Bale voice. Shinji chuckled a bit, this girl had a funny sense of humor. Maybe she could be a friend after all.

"I'm joking, my name is Hikari Hokari! Please to meet you" Hikari said as she properly introduced herself. Hikari noted Shinji's smile. It was very nice, pleasant even. Hikari also noted how handsome Shinji was. Maybe it was his sense of fashion or his confidence, which he had been feigning. She noted how nicely his light blue oxford button down fitted on his torso, how he perfectly matched it with a dark blue thin cardigan, his slim pants that weren't too tight nor too loose, his nice boots. Shinji was a well-dressed fellow. 'Must be nice to be five eleven' she thought.

"Nice to meet you!" Shinji returned the greeting, "Excuse me, I have to go do my biology homework."

"Oh, you have Biology? I'm also taking Biology. What's your professor's name?" Hikari asked, a bit too excited.

"His name is Hitler. I'm just kidding, his name is Something Tanaka." Shinji replied. He hated this professor, probably because he was a dictator. Professor Tanaka gave hard homework. Shinji compared his homework to being sodomized by a giant flying diamond. Just...awful.

"Oh, I have him. He's not that bad…" Hikari trailed off. He was that bad. But then, Hikari had a brilliant plan come to mind.

"Hey, Ikari-Kun…" Hikari started.

"Call me Shinji. Ikari is my father's name." Shinji joked, "Wait…" Shinji squinted his eyes as he tried to make sense of his joke.

"Anyways...**Shinji**-kun, I was wondering if you wanted to study together!" Hikari asked with a fervor. Shinji weighed his options: A) Do my work alone and be lonely or B) Do my work with her and be less lonely.

"Sure, I don't mind. As long as you don't drag me down, Hokari-san" Shinji replied. Two heads were better than one. Well, to be fair, it was more like 1.5 heads are better than one. She wasn't altogether there.

"Let me get my stuff really quickly" Hikari said as she scurried off into the maze of books. Shinji looked at his watch, it was 10:30. He had psychology at 1. 'Do my work for an hour and a half, and after that, go to lunch, and then class' Shinji planned in his head as he waited for Hikari to get her stuff. Hopefully, Hikari could pull her own weight.

'Man, I should really take some time and get fit. Hit the gym and stuff.' Shinji thought to himself. He decided to hit the gym after psych class. Shinji started pressing his pectoral muscles and squeezing his biceps. Dude, he was weak.

"Why are you squeezing yourself" Shinji heard from behind. To the unassuming eye, it did look like he was groping himself. Shinji jumped a bit and when he turned, he saw a laughing Hikari. She will roux the day she laughed at Ikari Shinji.

"Uhhh...uhhh" Shinji muttered as he tried to formulate a good reason, "Because I can." In his mind, Shinji slapped himself. Because I Can.

"Okay, what floor do you want to go to?" Hikari asked after her little laughing fit.

"Anywhere really. I have class at 1 pm, so I'm going to leave at like 11:45ish"

"Cool. I need to get some lunch, too. I heard about this new mexican place. It sells rice bowls, it's called Chi-pot-el." Hikari chimed in. Shinji could not help but laugh at the butchered pronunciation.

"Yeah, I heard of it. It's called Chipotle. I don't mind going." Shinji said, wiping a tear from his eye. He heard the elevator ding, and luckily, there was no rampaging bull inside. Shinji sighed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank god!" Shinji chuckled as he got in the elevator with Hikari. He saw her crack a smile as she pressed 4. Floors 4 and 5 were "study in groups" floors, whereas Floors 1 to 3 were "study by yourself floors". Floors 6 was the computer/language lab, and Floor 7-8 were administration. *Ding* the elevator sounded as Shinji and Hikari reached their destination. Luckily the floor was not too crowded. It was still 10:30, but you never know, bunch of hardworking Asian kids. Everyone knows that stereotype, no need to explain.

"Hey, let's head to the back near the windows. I know a pretty cool spot! Great view of the blooming cherry trees!" Hikari said softly, but with notable excitement in her voice. Shinji nodded in response. Shinji noticed Hikari's butt as she walked ahead. It was...nice. 'Must be firm. God, what I would do..wait, what am I thinking…' Shinji cringed. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind; Hikari was his new friend, he could not do that to her.

"HERE WE AREEE" Hikari exclaimed a tad too loudly, only to have fellow student look at her. Shinji chuckled as Hikari apologized to everyone. This girl was pretty cool, Shinji looked forward to being her friend. Shinji took the seat next to the window across from Hikari. He took out his macbook pro that he got as a present from his parents.

"Nice laptop, Shinji-kun. All I have is a macbook air!" Hikari said as she pulled her laptop out of her bookbag. Shinji put his messenger bag in the chair next to him and pulled up the lecture notes and homework on his laptop.

"So how do you do this?" Hikari asked Shinji. Shinji glanced over and began to explain cellular respiration.

Shinji's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at the time. 11:23 am. Almost time to go eat some food, Shinji was so sick of Biology. He glanced at the text his roommate, Jamal, had sent him. "Hey, do you mind picking up some instant noodles? I'm really digging the Tonkatsu flavor". Shinji sighed and texted back, "Fine, but you're paying me back!". A second later, Shinji got a smiley face in reply. He looked back up at Hikari who was also on her phone.

"Hey, Hokari-san, you wanna dip soon? Biology is too hard!" Shinji asked. Hikari looked up at him after sending her text.

"Wait a bit, I have a friend coming up to meet us. She wants to grab Chipotle with us. Also, call me Hikari-chan or something. Hokari is my dad's name." Hikari mocked. Shinji shot her a death glare, but followed it up with a small chuckle. Hikari liked the sound of Shinji's laugh, it was very settling. Shinji closed his macbook and put it in his bag.

"What type of bag is that? It looks very...mature" Hikaru said as she struggled to find a adjective suitable to describe his bag.

"Oh this? I got it when me and my family visited America. Forgot what its called." Shinji explained as he continued packing up. America. Shinji went to Los Angeles when he was 14. Los Angeles is a very different place, full of diversity. Shinji, at the time, did not practically enjoy it because he could not understand the language and his parents would never let up. Shinji this, Shinji that.

"Oh that's really cool! When did you go?" Hikari asked as they got up from the table.

"Roughly 4 years ago? It was okay, I wasn't old enough to enjoy it." Shinji replied after reminiscing about it.

"I'd love to go, but my family isn't too rich." Hikari sighed, her head in the skies.

"I guess I'm lucky then. Where are we meeting your friend?" Shinji asked as they headed into the elevator. Shinji hit 1 and the elevator started its slow descent.

"She's outside the library!" Hikari responded.

It was pretty sunny outside and Shinji felt a slight breeze as he exited the library. Luckily, most of the sunlight was blocked by the cherry trees. There he saw a very beautiful girl. She instantly reminded of a girl he saw when he first arrived in a snowy Tokyo. He remembered it like it was yesterday. It was a crowded train station as he got off, and he heard a girl yell "I'M GETTING OFF". He remembered grabbing her hand as he pulled her out of the crowd of people. He remembered his heart stopping for a second. He remembered as she thought he hit on her. He remembered her saying goodbye in german. He remembered all of it.

"Asuka! Over here!" Hikari yelled at her friend. The red-head spotted her and walked over. Shinji could not keep his eyes off her, like...she was someone he needed to meet. Her beautiful red hair, her bright blue eyes, that white skin.

Shinji was for, lack of a better word, turned on.


	2. Chapter 2: We go to Chipotle

I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or anything related to it. This is just for recreation.

Chapter 2: We go to Chipotle

'Wow, she's hot.' Shinji thought as he continued studying that redhead's beauty. What was her name? Who was she? Did she have a boyfriend? What was she like? Did she have a boyfriend? What's her favorite food? Did she have a boyfriend? Those were the million dollar questions in his mind. Shinji could not help but notice her slender legs in those nice black skinny jeans, her nice bosom nestled in a nice blue tee, and how that thick shawl cardigan made her look smaller.

Suddenly, Shinji felt a sharp tingling in his right cheek. What was this tender sensation? Then he realized it. He had been slapped. But by whom? It had to be Hikari. That bitch. How could that delicate redhead slap him? Why would she?

"Why did you slap him?" a voice similar to Hikari asked. So, some random person slapped Shinji. It had to be.

"Because this pervert was staring at me!" a voice yelled. Wow, even her voice was hot. Wait. She slapped him?

"Hold on a second," Shinji started, still visibly stunned, "I wasn't looking at you." His right hand moved to touch his right cheek. It stung. That marked the first time the girl, Asuka, slapped Shinji. 'Wow, she slaps hard. She had to lift, maybe she could teach me' Shinji began to think, 'Wait...she just...she just' Shinji's eyes went wide.

"WHY DID YOU SLAP ME?" Shinji yelled at the young girl in front of him. No one had ever slapped the young man. Sure, people have punched him. People have kicked him in the balls. Punched him in the balls. One time, a little kid even headbutt him in the balls when he was babysitting. There is a recurring theme here, isn't there? But I digress, Shinji had never been slapped before. Shit, not even his mom had slapped him. Maybe spanked Shinji for being a bad boy, but that was once. This hottie had the audacity to slap the great Ikari Shinji.

"Why were you look at me? Huh? Checking me out, you fucking perv" Asuka replied, quite angrily I might add. She was upset, and in her mind, rightfully so. At least she didn't boot stomp him in the balls, she was scared he might have taken a sexual liking to that. This stranger already became a perv in her mind before he said anything to her. 'I may have taken that a tad too far, but I can't say anything now.' She thought. She could not seem weak in front of this fairly attractive gu...pervert. Pervert.

"I wasn't looking at you...I was looking at...uhh…" Shinji said weakly as he tried to make an excuse. He was like a fish out of water. He was done. Might as well call "Good Fucking Game" now. She hated him.

"Looking at what, you goddamn pervert" Asuka taunted as she moved closer to him. She had him and she knew it.

"Asuka, calm down!" Hikari interjected, scared of what her friend would do to her new study buddy. She placed her hands on Asuka's shoulders and gestured for her to back off. Asuka took the cue and backed off. The only thing Shinji was thinking was 'Wow, her appearance does not match her beauty. Jesus, what happened to the cute Anime girls?'. But, still, she was very cute. Shinji took solace in that, at the very least.

"Look I'm sorry. You were cute, and I checked you out. Can we move past that?" Shinji said, trying to reconcile. Asuka noticed the slight blush come to Shinji's cheek. 'Wow, he isn't that bad looking.' She thought. Shinji had never told a girl she was cute, this was a first for Shinji. Today was a day of firsts, really. Shinji raised an eyebrow waiting for the girl's response. He still didn't know her name, he was too wrapped up in his own mind. He noticed her cheeks blush a bit.

"My name is Asuka Soryu. Nice to meet you" Asuka said softly. She was clearly embarrassed at her outburst. He only thought she was cute, why'd she go and slap him? Asuka hoped that Shinji didn't hold that against her. For the record, Shinji held that against her. Shinji chuckled softly, her hands must be stinging right now.

"I'm Ikari Shinji. Nice to meet you" Shinji returned the greeting. Then, loud as thunder, Asuka's stomach growled. Shinji tried to hold in his laughter as Asuka started blushing. Hikari could not contain herself, she was guffawing. Shinji could barely hold it, it took all his mental, physical, and spiritual strength to contain himself. Asuka wasn't have an easy time either, she was literally dying of hunger. Asuka had a very bad habit. She didn't follow a strict eating schedule. This was a habit she adopted after she moved to Tokyo University. No one to cook for her combined with her laziness meant that she didn't eat sometimes. Terrible habit.

"Okay, let's go get some Chipotle!" Hikari said after she recovered from laughter. Asuka nodded, slightly embarrassed at her stomach. Shinji could not recall the last time he had Chipotle, but he was eager to hang out and eat some food before his hour long psychology lecture at 1pm. He hoped that it was not too unbearable.

"Yeah, I'd like a rice bowl"

"What type of rice?"

"Brown please. Thanks."

"Okay, black or pinto?"

"Can I get a bit of both? Thanks"

"Sure. What type of meat?"

"Steak. And let me get every topping"

"Sure thing. Would you like a drink?"

"Uhhh...I'll take a bottle of water"

"That's great, sir. It'll be 1153 yen. Card or cash?"

"Card."  
"Please sign here."

"Yeah, thanks"

"Have a nice day, sir."

"You too, thanks"

Shinji's mouth watered as he got his food. His rice bowl looked delicious and he couldn't wait to dig in. But he was more excited that he gets company for lunch. Shinji had not met anyone at Tokyo University worth talking to yet. Maybe it was because Shinji never took the time to talk to anyone, nor did anyone talk to him. To be it bluntly, Shinji was shy and never took the initiative.

"What did you get, Shinji-kun?" Hikari asked as she sat down with him. To Shinji, Hikari's rice bowl looked a little...sparse. And there was no meat. There was no meat. Wow, she didn't get meat. Maybe she was a vegetarian?

"I got a steak bowl with everything. How about you?" Shinji asked as he mixed his food. He heard a tray plop down diagonally from him. 'The Hungry Hippo had arrived' Shinji thought, earning him a chuckle. He looked at Asuka and saw her bowl. It was...hearty, for lack of a better word. He saw every type of meat and extra fixings. Jesus christ, this girl must be bulking!

"You're probably thinking I'm a hungry hippo or something" Asuka said while smirking. Shinji's reaction told Asuka the answer.

"I got a vegetarian bowl. I need to keep a diet!" Hikari said as she began eating, "My sis told me bout the freshman 15" Ahh yes, the infamous freshman fifteen. The terrible plague that makes you fatter 15 pounds. It's a hidden killer really. A pound here. A pound there. Late night snacks. Shinji remembered the first night of college. He got smashed and ate like 10 packs of Ramen. Whenever Shinji and Jamal toked, Shinji got the munchies hard. Luckily, Shinji didn't blaze it that much. Now that I think about it, how the fuck did Jamal get so much pot? Shinji didn't know, he just left it be. He would ask Jamal later.

"Itadakimasu" Shinji and Hikari said before digging in. Asuka was already eating, before she noticed Shinji looking at her. More like judging her. She could almost hear Shinji calling her an uncivilized brute in his head. Well, she was 2-for-2. He was calling her an uncivilized brute in his head.

"Itadakimasu" Asuka mumbled whilst rolling her eyes. Fuck you, Shinji. That was all she was thinking. But then the wonderful flavors of Chipotle coated her mouth and she didn't care anymore. Wow, look at her hands move. Shinji could not help but be slightly impressed. Hikari's eyebrows furrowed as she worried her friend would choke. Jesus christ, this isn't the winter olympics. Damn, slow down.

"Asuka-chan, please slow down." Hikari said softly, "You're...unseemly". Shinji laughed, almost spitting out his food. Shinji quickly swallowed his food before chuckling to himself. God, she was...she was something else. But Shinji could not help but admire Asuka. She didn't really care about who was watching her eat. Shinji admired Asuka for that. If anything, Shinji cared too much. The way he dressed, the way he conducted himself. Hell, the most racy thing he owned was light pink oxford button down.

Shinji turned down to eat his food. The mesh of flavor was indescribable, but he tried. The smooth guac, the spicy salsa, the rich meat, the slightly sour cream, it melded into an amalgamation of taste and flavor. As Shinji ate, he checked his watch. It was 12:00. Chipotle was 15 minutes away from campus.

"Wow, that was good" Asuka said, content. She patted her stomach. Food baby. Hikari was on her phone, playing Flappy bird. Hikari hated the game, it was so frustrating...but so addictive. Jesus, she was just tapping away. What was the appeal of that game? Asuka could only wonder. She looked over at Shinji. He was checking his phone and then he put it back in his pocket. Man, he is scrawny. Go to the gym or something.

"Hey, it's like 12:10 right now. I have class at 1pm. You guys wanna head back to campus, get a drink or something?" Shinji suggested. 1pm? That piqued Asuka's interest. 'I have class at 1pm.' Asuka thought. No way, no way Shinji and her had class together. What are the chances? Out of 27,000 students, what are the chances they have class together? It was impossible.

Hikari glanced at her own phone to make sure. It was 12:11, she had class at 12:30. What was it again? Computer Science? Probably computer science. Looking at her schedule, Hikari did, in fact, have computer science. What a weird general requirement. She did have to get back to campus though, she had like 20 minutes.

"Yeah, I can't do that. I have class at 12:30! Let's get going?" Hikari said, with a slight desperate hinge to her voice. Shinji and Asuka got up and threw away their stuff.

Tokyo at noon was hustling and bustling. There were a ton of people, so there was no chance of really talking. It was more like "Let's Play Don't Get Separated". To be fair, it wasn't a game that was well too thought out. If you lose the game, you get mobbed by like thousands of Asians. Lost to the world. Like The One Ring before The Hobbit. But luckily, no one lost. Shinji, Asuka, and Hikari got back to campus in one piece. Hikari ran ahead, since it was already 12:25.

"So, what time do you have class?" Shinji asked the redhead as they walked through campus. Asuka takes out her phone to check her schedule, she knew she had class at 1pm, but forgot which exactly.

"I have...sociology at 1pm" She confirmed as she put her phone away. Shinji nods, and checks his watch. 12:27pm. 30 minutes. Hmmm, maybe he would ask her to grab a drink.

"Hey, you wanna go grab a cup of coffee at the cafe?" Shinji asks. He didn't know how the young woman would respond. Did she still hate him? They didn't really speak during their lunch break and honestly, he did want to get to know her better. Maybe see if she had a boyfriend...but no matter how much he tried to convince himself of otherwise, that was really why he wanted to get coffee.

"Sure, why not? I got time to kill" Asuka said, half-committed. Hopefully, this perv doesn't try anything crazy or perverted. But, what's the worst that could happen? Shinji was not unattractive, he thought she was cute. Maybe they could be friends!

The campus Psuedo-Bucks was not that packed thankfully. Shinji got his usual latte with no sugar. Shinji was quite the coffee-enthusiast, he loved coffee and espresso without any weird additions. When Shinji heard Asuka order her beloved "Mocha double shot whip cream caramel latte", he wanted to hurl. Diabetes in a cup. He looked at the cute girl sip at the drink and smile. It was really...really cute. Just super duper cute. He lost his vocabulary as she sipped her drink. Shinji sipped at his latte and it was bitter, but light. Surprisingly light, perfect balance as Shinji smiled.

'Wow, his smile...is bright.' Asuka thought. She could not help but become a tad captivated by it. Shinji looked up and saw Asuka staring at him. Ha! Shinji chuckled a bit, it was pretty amusing to see a girl he thought was super hot stare at him.

"Idiot" Asuka muttered under her voice.

"So tell me about yourself, Asuka." Shinji said in a soft tone.

"Well, my dad's from Germany. My mom's japanese. I lived in Germany until I was 14, then I moved back to Japan. Went to high school where I met Hikari. Studied, got into Tokyo University. Got my own apartment near school." Asuka explained. Wow, she has her own apartment, good stuff. Shinji was impressed.

"Hey, you know anybody who would be interested in renting a room with me? I have a spare bedroom." Asuka asked Shinji. Shinji wanted to move in. He really did, he did not want a pothead roommate. He did not want to be a pothead himself. He did not want to eat shitty dorm food. He could definitely afford it after all he did get a nice financial aid from Tokyo University.

"Uhhh, how about me?" Shinji asked. Asuka looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"No." That was a quick response.

"Why?"

"Because you're a guy. It's immoral"

"We're fucking 18. I'll pay rent and everything." Shinji pleaded. Asuka sighed, her defences were breaking down.

"I don't know." Asuka said, clearly conflicted.

"Hey, you know what? I'll cook breakfast." Shinji offered. Asuka was interested now. This became interesting.

"Okay, we'll do a one week trial" Asuka counter-offered, "If you can comply to me for a week, then you can live with me". Shinji pursed his lips. Jamal or Asuka? Pothead black dude or Asuka? If he didn't decide soon, he wouldn't be able to get his deposit back. He might need to get a part-time job as well.

"Fine." Shinji concluded, "I will go with the one-week trial"

"Have the 41,000 yen deposit ready. That's one months rent" Asuka stated.

"Well, it's 12:50, time to get going" Shinji said getting up, "give me your number." Asuka shot him a death glare.

"Why would I do that? So you can send me lewd pictures?" Asuka yelled, clearly drawing the attention of fellow patrons. Shinji heard some "so scandalous", "what a pervert", "man, he's cute" from across the room. Shinji was trembling with anger.

"So...I can call you about the details" Shinji growled through clenched teeth.

"Oh, that makes sense." Asuka said as she wrote down her number. Shinji just sighed, no way to counter her now.

"See you later...you devil" Shinji said, the last part under his breath, as he took the number from her. Asuka heard him, but she didn't say anything. With a hmph, she got up and walked past the young man who was inputting her digits. Man, that did not go the way she wanted it to. Time for sociology.

Hikari wondered what those two talked about. Maybe it was something juicy, even sexual. But she knew that Shinji would never go there, Asuka would tease him, but Shinji would never go there. Sadly, Shinji wasn't Hikari's type. She preferred more athletic guys, someone who wasn't as cleanly dressed as Shinji. But still, Shinji was really smart and helpful. But it felt like Shinji was holding back, not being himself. Maybe they needed to get closer. Oh, maybe she could sit with Shinji during biology lecture and they could become closer friends. Doesn't Asuka have Biology with her? They could do a study group! She laughed to herself, excited at the premise of having a close knit group of friends.

After psychology, Shinji went to the head of Dormitories asking for a deposit. It was in his dorm office. Luckily, as Shinji arrived, there was a small line of people. Some of them weren't even fully dressed. Was that guy pantless? Who walks out of their room in their boxers? As Shinji peered closer, he noticed that that there were stains on his boxers.

"What the fuck…" Shinji muttered under his breath. Shinji fiddled with his phone for a bit before getting called in. He was met with a tired looking older gentlemen in an ill-fitting suit and what Shinji thought to be scotch in his glass. Well, everyone needs a coping device.


	3. Chapter 3:Asuka Paul vs Shinji Westbrook

I do not own NGE or any related merchandise.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Quick note: There is a notable difference between NGE/Manga Shinji and the Shinji I'm writing. Instrumentality was a way to evolve mankind, but also it should push characters to improve on their flaws. I'm taking a rapid departure from canon Shinji because post-Instrumentality or 3rd Impact, Shinji should be a better and less insecure person. That includes him being more social and being a cooler and more well-rounded character, but he will have insecurities. I promise you the cast will not be one-dimensional, if stay tune, I guess. I'll try to improve my writing style as well, I'm still fairly new to this.

Chapter 3: Asuka Paul vs Shinji Westbrook

With deposit in hand after a grueling hour of paper work, Shinji makes his way to his room, 301B. He was gonna have to explain to Jamal that he was leaving him, possibly forever. Like two star-crossed lovers destined to never see eachother again. In this case, the two lovers were Shinji and marijuana. After this, Shinji would never smoke again and it was great. Shinji could not wait to get away from the pot smell. It was a miracle no one smelled the weed on him before. It was very pungent even though Jamal never smoked in the room. It was like he leaked weed cologne.

Shinji opened his door and was blasted with a strong scent of weed and booze. Jesus, Jamal went off the deep end.

"Hey, man" said the half-naked figure as Shinji walked in. Shinji's dorm wasn't that big nor was it small. Once you walk in, there were two closets facing eachother followed by a bathroom. The corridor was roughly 7 feet, the room itself wasn't exactly that big either. Just enough space for 2 beds and 2 desks. Jamal got up. Jamal might be Jamaican, but he was not black. He was japanese. Jamal was a 5'6" japanese guy. His real name was Takashi, but he was born in Jamaica when his parents were on vacation there. Kind of weird if you ask me, but I digress. Funny note is that he had actual dreadlocks and the hat. Like a Japanese Bob Marley who couldn't sing.

"I'm moving out," Shinji began, "I found a roommate elsewhere." He walked to his bed and reached underneath to get his suitcase. Luckily, it hadn't been long enough for Shinji to spread his clothing everywhere. It was easy to pack up, 15 minutes or so.

"Watchu mean, you moving out?" Taka...Jamal replied, with a displeased tone in his voice. This Shinji dude was suppose to be his nig...friend. His friend.

"Bro, you're not even Jamaican. Drop the accent!" Shinji laughed at his ex-roommate. Jamal looked exasperated and chuckled. Yeah, he was a tad high. He was a tad drunk. But in a moment of lucidity, he knew Shinji had to go. He was...like a passing fancy. Just not as fancy.

"It was very nice to meet you, buddy" Jamal said in defeat as he stuck his hand out for a handshake. Shinji smiled back and grabbed his hand. Jamal was not that bad of a guy, he just had different priorities. Hell, Jamal was more responsible than Shinji at times. He would take Shinji out to parties, he would hook Shinji up with girls, and Shinji knew this. Shinji knew that Jamal was not an asshole, but pot culture usually dictates otherwise. A civil ending to a rather fun time.

"So why are you leaving?" Jamal asked, as he sat back down in his chair. Jamal began packing up his bookbag for class at 4. He had class from 4-7pm on Fridays, but it meant he had a long morning to relax. He looked over at Shinji and he noted the blush. It had to be a girl, a cute one at that, but Jamal knew that Shinji would never boast. Shinji pulled a couple hot ones at the introduction party, but Shinji never really made a fuss about it. Maybe it was because Shinji was drunk and a tad high, but Shinji never made a spectacle about who he kissed or anything. Shinji was usually a shy guy, so Jamal did not press further.

"Oh shit, I have class at 3:30! I'll catch you another time, buddy. Good luck with everything" Jamal said before giving Shinji a final hug. Shinji smiled and returned it. Jamal was his friend, despite their short time together. He knew Jamal had class at 4pm, not 3:30pm, but Jamal was giving Shinji the benefit of the doubt.

Shinji looked at the small back of the young Jamaican as he ran out the door. Shinji could not help but smile and feel a little sad. He flung his bag over this shoulder and left his room.

Shinji sat down on a bench in the square. He pulled out his Galaxy S4, which is cousin got him for his birthday, and texted Asuka, "Hey, I'm near the square. When are you done with class?"

"I just finished. I'll come find you. What do you see?" Asuka texted back a couple minutes later.

"I see a school and some grass" Shinji texted back, trying to be clever.

"LOLOLOLOL. Kill yourself. Now where are you?" Asuka rebutted. Shinji could not help but smirk.

"Near the Dormitories on the East Side. Square entrance" Shinji replied, being serious this time.

"Okay, I'll be there soon" Asuka texted back.

Shinji checked his watch, it was 4:10 pm. Just enough time to get settled in and make some food. Hopefully Asuka had a full stocked fridge. But, Shinji doubted it. If anything, he'd treat the fiery redhead as gratitude. Shinji scanned from left to right looking for the fiery redhead in question. Once Shinji locked on to her, he got up and walked over.

"Hey, Asuka. Ready to go?" Shinji asked the redhead. He noticed her chest expanding and deflating rapidly. She must have been hustling.

"What are you smirking about?" Asuka asked when she noticed Shinji's smirk.

"Nothing, let's get going?" Shinji replied. He was eager to sleep in a room that did not smell like marijuana and stale booze.

"Yeah, let's go"

"So what did you have today?" Shinji asked as the two walked a brisk pace. People saw the two young adults walking and quickly noted that they were a rather attractive couple. Asuka looked at the taller boy and noted his carefree posture. She wrinkled her nose, what was that smell?

"Did you...smoke pot?" Asuka asked Shinji with a judgemental look in her eye. A sparkle of evil and blackmail if you will. Wow, you could not get a better "deer in headlights" look even if you had a deer in your headlights. Shinji got caught. Like in League of Legends, when you overextend and it becomes a 4 man gank, that type of caught.

"Not...today, I didn't" Shinji said under his breath and a little ashamed. She had a good nose, even Shinji didn't smell it. It must have been a parting gift from Jamal when they hugged. Shinji sighed in defeat.

"I have done it before. Not on a daily basis, just once or twice...a week" Shinji sighed, "It's not a problem, I promise" Shinji looked over at the redhead. She was gleaming. Luckily, they had already left school ground or there might have been ramifications.

"I've never done it," Asuka admitted a tad embarrassed, "What's it like?" That question stunned Shinji. What was it like? It was really hard to describe.

"Well, I felt looser and laughed a lot more. I didn't really get to a point where I was out of my mind. Just a couple hits at a party" Shinji responded. Shinji heard Asuka gasp! Wait was she surprised at something?

"A..a party?" Asuka stuttered, "You've been to a party?" She was stunned, how could the wimpy Ikari Shinji go to a party before the beautiful Asuka?

"Well, yeah. Haven't you? There were a ton before school started. I only went to like three or four of them" Shinji asked, he was fairly puzzled. Asuka was a pretty girl, she must have gotten hit on at least. Parties are pretty rare nowadays, but before class started, they were pretty frequent.

"Well, I haven't. What did you do? Huh, you probably roofie'd em!" Asuka playfully accusing Shinji of a rather serious crime. Roofies are illegal, if people didn't know. Shinji sighed and noticed the area they were walking in. This was some high class stuff. Nice skyscrapers, expensive stores, and hell, there was a shaved poodle. If that wasn't class, what was? Whatever, Shinji decided he would ask Asuka later. It was of urgency.

"Nah, I just made out with a couple of girls," Shinji nonchalantly recalled, "It was okay. I was pretty smashed. Don't recall exactly." Asuka stopped. Ikari Shinji had his first kiss before she did? What was this? No boy had ever kissed Asuka before, not even at prom! She always played it off as she was too good for everybody. What was wrong with her that no one would kiss her? Asuka could not help but become a tad insecure.

"Hey, where are we going?" Shinji quickly asked, hoping to distract the dejected Asuka. Why she looked so dejected was out of Shinji's scope.

"We're almost there" Asuka huffed. She had to best Shinji at something! She had to one-up on something. She was Asuka fucking Langley Soryu.

"Here we are" Asuka exclaimed as she halted her brisk pace outside of a massive apartment building. Shinji was flabbergasted. How could she afford to live here? How could he afford to live here? Shinji knew that he needed a job now, it was inevitable. This massive gigantic tower that stood before me reminded him of his favorite manhwa, Tower of God.

"Goddamn, how do you offer this? You got a sugar daddy or something" Shinji joked, earning him a slight slap in the face. Nowhere near as hard as when Asuka first slapped him hours ago. Then it hit Shinji, he is moving in with a girl he met literally 5 hours ago. Was he in a romantic comedy? Is this a romantic comedy? This was truly a day of firsts for the young man. 1st time he got slapped, 1st time he ate lunch with only girls, 1st time he got a girl's number, 1st time he moved in with someone he met 5 hours ago. The first three were fairly commonplace, but the last first, that was hard to accomplish.

"No, my uncle owns this apartment building. I live free of rent," Asuka explained as she walked into the building, "this building as a fully equipped gym, an olympic swimming pool, and 2 saunas. You can use them, just don't do anything perverted" Shinji was more than impressed. For 400 a month, he got this many amenities. Asuka looked at the young man and noted that Shinji was beaming. Asuka was proud that she was able to stun the young man, who had continued to surprise her. They continued through the lavish lobby, being greeted by the doorsman. Their first stop was at the receptionist to clear Shinji and to give Shinji his own entrance card. It was like a hotel key and it granted Shinji access to entire faculty. After, the two proceeded to floor 23 and to their apartment, 2300.

Shinji marveled as he swiped his keycard and the door electronically unlocked with a simple *beep*. Needless to say, he was astonished at the view that the 23rd floor offered. It was a beauty sight and perfect timing as the sun was beginning to go down. The apartment itself was very stereotypical. Once you opened the door, you would enter the living room and to the right was the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen was a moderate size, comfortable for 2-3 people. The cherrywood table sat 6 people. Directly across from the entrance of the apartment was a huge view and a balcony. In the middle of the living sat a nice, L-shaped leather couch and in front of it was a small coffee table that looked very similar to the dining table. But the television was flatscreen and was, Shinji estimated, 50 inches. He marveled at the systems that sat below the television.

To the left was a long corridor, probably 5 foot wide. On the left were the rooms, the right were the closets and the bathroom. The bathroom was nothing to marvel at, it had white tiles and a nice standing shower.

"The room further down is yours," Asuka said while showing Shinji the way, "It comes with a full size bed, and a desk. It has a in-wall closet. We also have central air that is controlled in the living room. The gym and the pool is on the top floor" Shinji walked into his new room. Directly across where Shinji stood, there was an expensive view of Tokyo, not as nice as the living room view, but still beautiful never the less.

"Thanks Asuka." Shinji muttered, still in awe.

"No problem, you idiot. I'll leave you to settle, I'm gonna be in my room if you anything," Asuka quickly added, "Don't come in, just knock" Shinji could only nod, he was still in shock. He heard the door close behind him and then Shinji dropped his school bag on his desk and flopped down on his bed. It was soft. He looked at his watch, it was 5:30pm. Maybe he should treat Asuka to dinner. She did, after all, let him live in her home. In the span of one day, he went from a shitty dorm that smelled like pot to a beautiful apartment with a gym and a pool. It was great.

Shinji exited his room and knocked on Asuka's door. She was probably changing or whatever. Shinji heard footsteps approaching the door.

"What do you want?" Asuka asked, slightly annoyed at the intrusion of her new roommate.

"I just wanted to treat you to dinner after I unpacked." Asuka looked at the young man and nodded. She was sleepy after an intensive Friday of studying, but free food? Who could pass that up.

"Call me at 7:30. I'm going to take a nap." Asuka nodded sleepily, "I want sushi though" With that, she headed back into her room after closing the door. Shinji caught a glimpse of the redhead's room. And boy, was she messy! Shinji saw bras and panties just lying around the floor. Books scattered all over her desk, but despite the mess, Shinji had to admit, Asuka's room smelled nice. Like strawberry. Just a faint hint of strawberry, but it left a smile on Shinji's face.

Shinji returned to his room and started unpacking. He took out his clothes and hung it up. Shinji looked at his wardrobe and considered that it was sparse.

"Tomorrow is saturday, might as well go shopping" Shinji decided. He might as well ask Asuka and Hikari to accompany him. He needed a couple items, namely a laundry basket, shampoo, and body wash. New pajamas would be helpful, Shinji had only brought one set with him to college and he couldn't just walk around in boxers with Asuka around. He also needed some gym stuff and a bathing suit; Shinji intended to make full use of the facilities here.

Shinji had forgotten to tell his parents. While he was never really close to his father, Shinji loved his mother. He pulled out his phone, 6:00pm. *beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep* *ring ring*

"Hey, mom"

"Oh, hello Shinji. I miss you soooo much. Dear, it's Shinji. Do you wanna talk to him?"

"It's okay, mo-"

"This is your father. How is school, Shinji?"

"Oh, uhhh, it's fine, dad. Nothing too bad"

"Okay, what did you call about?"

"I moved out of the dorms. One of my friends had an extra room"

"Okay. As long as you don't get into trouble. No, I don't wanna tell him - what? No dinner?"

"Dad, what's going?"

"Wait a minute, Shinji." Shinji heard his mom and dad talking in the background.

"I don't wanna say I love him. Okay? I'm a man" Gendo said to his wife.

"No, you better say it if you want dinner" Yui countered.

"Fine. *ahem* Shinji, I uhhh, love you" Gendo quickly said. Shinji could not help but smile.

"I love you too, dad." Shinji replied in kind. He heard the phone rustle.

"I love you too, dear" His mother said, lovingly.

"Bye, mom" *click*

Another first. His dad said he loved him, that was new. Shinji smirked, before chucking his phone onto his bed. He took out his laptop and sat down at his desk. The desk was also cherrywood and it had a nice solid feel to it. Shinji opened up his favorite anime and began watching.

Asuka sat against the headboard on her bed. She was conflicted. She had no idea what was happening, her life had taken a huge step. She let a guy into her life, which was a first for her. She never really had any guy friends other than...well, she never had any guy friends. Shinji seemed different at least, he put up with her. He did not even get mad when she slapped him. Funny thing is that Asuka's hand stung for a bit after.

"Idiot…" Asuka muttered softly as she inspected her left hand. Asuka looked up and inspected her messy room. Maybe she should clean it, there was a guy living here now. Asuka got up and began cleaning up. Her undergarments were scattered all over the floor and as Asuka was stuffing her stuff in her closet, she noticed her old basketball. Man, she had not played basketball in a long ass time. She used to be so great at it! When she first moved to Tokyo when she was 14, she remembered playing basketball against one of the boys in the park. She remembers this specifically because that boy did a killer cross-over and torched her. Maybe Shinji played ball!

Asuka walked over to Shinji's room and when she peered inside, she saw Shinji laughing at anime. Asuka could not describe Shinji's laugh, it was bright and warm when he didn't snort. She knocked on the door drawing Shinji's attention.

"Hey, Asuka, I thought you were taking a nap," Shinji inquired. Shinji immediately noticed the basketball that Asuka was holding. Man, Shinji used to play a lot. He actually used to be on the varsity basketball team, but the starting point guard eclipsed him by a lot. Shinji was too much of a ball hog, but was too conscious of his hogging to be any good.

"Hey, do you play Basketball?" Asuka asked, holding up the ball with one hand. Shinji got up and went to his suitcase. Shinji remembered packing a tanktop, some shorts, and a pair of sneakers. Shinji started changing, oblivious to the fact that Asuka was in the room with him. Shinji looked at very red Asuka, when he realized...he started changing with a girl in the room.

"Uhhh, you mi - might - want to change before me play" Shinji stuttered, slightly embarrassed. Asuka's face was as red as her hair. She wanted to slap him, but she had already slapped him before. Plus, it wasn't as if Asuka didn't get anything out of it, at least her roommate wasn't ugly.

Once Asuka was done changing into some gym wear, they headed up to the 30th floor. The 30th floor was huge. It had a huge outdoor swimming pool with a retractable roof and a fully decked out gym. Moreover, there was a basketball court. It looked fairly new and clean. The first thing that Shinji noticed were that it had great acoustics, he could hear the echoes as Asuka dribbled the ball. Luckily, there were new balls available for use rather than Asuka's old ratty ball. It was 6:15, Shinji had already planned with Asuka to play til 7 and then go out for some food at 7:30.

"So, let's play some 1-on-1, scrub" Asuka taunted the taller man. Shinji replied with a smirk. He was a god at one-on-one and he knew it. The reason why Shinji got benched is because he was a huge ball hog. He played Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, and Point Forward in one. He simply wasn't tall enough for center. But, Shinji was no Lebron James or Kevin Durant, he was just good at streetball.

"Let me take a couple practice shots," Shinji remarked confidently. Asuka passed him the ball and Shinji took a jumpshot at the 3 point line. He tried his best to model himself after good basketball players in the NBA. He actually loved watching the NBA; he especially love watching Westbrook play. Swoosh. Asuka noted Shinji's flawless form. It was smooth like a river flowing or whatever that cliche is. Asuka went over to get a ball from the rack and started taking shots as well.

"I'm ready, let's play" Shinji said after building up a slight sweat. Asuka blushed a bit when she noticed how the sweat gleamed off Shinji. Shinji played off the redness in her face as a sign of physical strain.

"Let's go" Asuka exclaimed with a tint of arrogance in her voice. Shinji smirked and checked her the ball. She began dribbling and noticed Shinji's posture. He was so relaxed, almost too calm. Moreover, he was standing so far back. Asuka took the chance and shot the ball. Shinji did not even respond to Asuka's quick trigger. Asuka ran up quickly, hoping to catch the rebound. But height prevailed and the 5'10" Shinji caught the ball as it bounced off the rim. Shinji quickly dribbled the ball past the arc, as per streetball rules. Asuka went to guard her opponent.

"Oh, you're gonna try to defend me?" Shinji taunted, "that's really cute" Shinji slowly edged forward and Asuka withdrew. Asuka obviously did not know that Shinji could exude such pressure. Shinji leaned forward, like a tiger ready to pounce, and off he went. Asuka could barely keep up with the boy's dribbling skills. Granted he wasn't a god like the NBA, but he was proficient enough to perform basic crossovers and behind the back maneuvers. It was like riding a bike.

"Oh, I might have to play seriously," Asuka exclaimed under clenched teeth as she reached for the ball as it was transitioning from right to left. She fell for his trap.

"You reach, I teach" Shinji said as he quickly took a stepback away from Asuka. Asuka was caught off guard as she tried to steal the ball away from Shinji. That split second was enough time for Shinji to create the space for him to quickly pull up a jump shot. Swoosh.

"Nothing, but net" Shinji smirked victoriously. Asuka grunted in frustration. The next 30 minutes was a repeat of what just transpired. Sure, Shinji allowed Asuka to get a couple basket so she was not too mad, but Shinji completely overwhelmed her. Shinji always enjoy playing basketball, he was such a meek person in middle school. He wanted to make new friends and he learned through basketball. He remember playing a girl with light brown, almost red short hair when he was a kid. He was practicing his cross-overs to get on the team.

"21-10!" Shinji exclaimed in victory as his last jumpshot hit its mark. Sure, Asuka contested it well, but Shinji was still 4 inches taller than the girl. Asuka lightly elbowed the young man in retaliation. She didn't know he could be **this** good at the game!

"Come on! I let you win!" Asuka countered to which Shinji jokingly shrugged whilst sticking his tongue out.

"Come on, its 7. We should shower and go get some food" Shinji laughed as they exited the court.

"Fine, but you're paying!"

"Yeah, yeah...I know"


	4. Chapter 4: The Tale of Two Idiots

I do not own NGE or anything related to NGE.

Chapter 4: The Tale of Two Idiots

The warm pellets of water rained down on Asuka's lightly tanned skin. She always found the warm water comforting, especially during times of distress. She remembered taking a 45 minute hot shower the night before the admission test for Tokyo University, and when she came out, her skin was the color of her hair. Luckily, there was no damage or nasty peeling, but Asuka did give partial credit to her shower for getting her into Tokyo University. She found herself reflecting whenever she stepped into her shower. Today was one of those days that Asuka needed a hot shower to process.

The focus of her thoughts were none other than Shinji Ikari. The young man who made a rather sudden appearance in her life. She has been alive for a total of 18 years and she had never really let a guy into her life, not even platonically. Asuka was always aware of her abrasive nature; she tended to be physical, loud-mouthed, and even at times, a tad perverted, and she knew this. It was not a secret revelation that came to her through a series of shocking events, but Asuka was aware it was who she was. Most guys never committed to getting to know the girl, rather they opted to pursue the friendship of Hikari Hokari, Asuka's best friend. But Shinji, he was a different sex altogether. He had been slapped twice in one day by her, and yet Shinji still chose to be friends with Asuka. Asuka could not wrap her mind around that, but regardless, Asuka respected Shinji and although she would never admit it out loud, she was happy to have met the young man.

"Hey, Asuka! What do you want for dinner?" Shinji called behind the locked bathroom door. He asked loud enough for Asuka to hear despite the loud collision between the millions of water pellets and her bathtub. The redhead contemplated what she wanted to eat while turning off the shower. Pizza? Sushi? Asuka felt pretty tired after her intense game against Shinji, she didn't really want to go out. Rather, she wanted to snuggle into the couch, eat some shitty chinese take-out, and watch some television.

"How about we order some chinese delivery and watch a movie?" Asuka responded after a minute while drying her hair. Holding her beautiful red locks, Asuka could not help but stare at her hair. She always took her looks seriously, it was sort of her hobby. She loved looking good and how much time she spent taking care of her hair and skin and even the miniscule details in her style. She tried to never wear the same combination twice after all, she was plagued with wearing the same highschool uniform every day.

"Hey, what do you want?" Shinji asked from beyond the door.

"Chicken with Broccoli! Also, some hot and sour soup!" Asuka replied loudly, making sure to be heard over the hair dryer. She usually spent around 15 minutes per shower cycle doing her hair, moisturizing her skin, and making sure she looked great the next day.

"Hey, is this Great China Express? Yeah, I'd like to place an order for delivery." Shinji said as he browsed the menu on his laptop. Shinji was a tad surprised that Asuka wanted to eat chinese food, after all it was his treat. He didn't mind buying a more expensive dinner for the young woman. In fact, he wanted to.

"I want one order of Chicken with Broccoli with white rice. One order of Sesame chicken with fried rice. And two orders of hot and sour soup." Shinji ordered while the waiter took his order over the phone.

"Okay, 1600 yen, right?" Shinji responded while checking his wallet. The order would take the better part of an hour seeing as it was the dinner rush. He walked out to see if the shower was open yet, he felt sticky all over from the sweat. Walking over to the bathroom door about to knock, Shinji heard a faint humming. It was a tone he recognized from somewhere, something from his childhood. It was something he heard as a child. It sounded like Bach, but the exact song, Shinji could not figure for the life of him.

"Hey, Asuka, you done? I need to take a shower" Shinji asked politely while knocking. He took a step back when he heard the knob turn and saw Asuka emerge from a slightly foggy bathroom.

"Yeah, all yours. When's the food coming?" Asuka asked as she moved aside.

"About 45 minutes." Shinji responded quickly before ducking into the bathroom. He quickly removed his sweat-soaked Russell Westbrook tanktop, immediately after he stripped and got into the shower. Unlike Asuka, Shinji preferred a lukewarm shower. Shinji had a bad experience as a young kid where he got burned at a relatives because they turned their boiler to the max.

"Shit, I need to buy some shampoo and bodywash," Shinji muttered softly to himself, "all this is girl stuff." Examining the shower, Shinji found strawberry shampoo, strawberry conditioner, strawberry body wash, strawberry shaving cream, strawberry body butter. Reluctantly, Shinji used the strawberry scented lotions. He rather smell like Asuka than like sweat.

"Wow, this actually smells pretty good" Shinji smiled after smelling himself as he got out of the shower. Shinji always cautioned against taking long showers, he was never one to waste water through meaningless contemplation. He never got the whole "win arguments in the shower" concept. He quickly put on his boxers and exited the bathroom with a towel loosely draped over his head.

"Hey, Shinji-" Asuka said from the living room before stopping. Shinji looked over at the shocked girl. Shinji had forgotten to change in the bathroom and he scurried into his room. But it was a hair too late, Asuka had gotten a glimpse way too long. Rather than disgusted or displeased, she was pleasantly surprised. She didn't hate Shinji's physique.

"Sorry about that, Asuka" Shinji apologized as he left his room fully clothed this time. Asuka didn't raise her head, instead she buried the bottom half of her face in the pillow, her eyes fixated on the television. She couldn't raise her head, he would see her blushing and she could not have that.

"Whatever, idiot…"Asuka replied. Shinji caught on to what she was saying despite her voice being muffled by the pillow. Shinji chuckled lightly at the response and plopped down on the couch next to Asuka.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Shinji inquired, his eyes fixated on the bright moving pictures on the television.

"I wanna watch a comedy." Asuka answered.

"Sure, but after the food gets here. I don't want to get interrupted when the delivery guy gets here" Shinji replied. It was 7:30, the food would probably arrive at like 7:50.

"You got any drinks in the fridge?" Shinji inquired, looking at the red head. She shook her head, disinterested.

"I'm not sure. Go check" Asuka muttered, completely focused on the program. Shinji got up and walked over to the fridge. Grasping the stainless steel handle, he effortlessly opened up the huge fridge. After careful examination, he saw a 12-pack of Yebisu beer and a couple pitchers of cold water.

"You want beer?" Shinji called over to the young woman. He looked over and caught her nodding, nonchalantly. He snapped two beers out of the plastic rings and headed over to the young woman, placing one of the beers in front of her. Shinji cracked the beer open and took a long sip after sitting back down. Shinji didn't drink a lot of alcohol, but he enjoyed it when he had the chance.

"I didn't know you liked this brand" Shinji said as he watched the redhead take a long drag. Almost immediately, Shinji saw a light red shade come across her cheeks followed by a loud burp which caused Shinji to double over.

"I can beat that, no problem" Shinji joked after he stopped laughing. He took a long drink of his fizzy beer and prepared to let a loud burp loose. There was slight rumble as the gas moved from his stomach to his mouth. Asuka laughed as Shinji let loose a huge burp. They took turns burping and laughing until Shinji heard the doorbell ring. Shinji grabbed his wallet and opened the door.

"Thanks" Shinji said after exchanging two 1000 yen notes for the bag of chinese takeout. Delicious smells of hot white rice, chicken, and soup emanated from the bag and assaulted Shinji's nasal cavities. That 45 minutes of basketball really did a number on his stomach. Shinji quickly closed the door and rushed back to his seat next to Asuka.

"How much was it?" Asuka asked, absentmindedly as she took out her food.

"Around 2000 yen with tip" Shinji replied as he opened his box of sesame chicken.

"I'll pay you back my order later" Asuka said as she flipped through netflix looking for an appropriate horror movie.

"Why? I said I would pay" Shinji asked curiously while taking a bite of fried rice. It tasted alright, but it was nothing special, Shinji could have done better.

"I want you to pay for me when we go out. This doesn't count" Asuka replied as she hit play on Ted. Hikari told her about it, how funny it was, but Asuka never got around to watching it.

"You need subtitles?" Asuka inquired, pressing pause.

"Nah, I learned English when I was a kid." Shinji responded. Asuka learned English during her time in Germany, but hearing that Shinji knew English was another pleasant surprise. Asuka hit resume on netflix and started eating. Normally, Asuka didn't like Chinese Take-out, she always found it bland and tasting of msg, but even this Chicken and Broccoli tasted great on an empty stomach.

"Hey, Asuka" Shinji asked, his eyes focused on the funny exchange between the Mark Wahlberg and the teddy bear. Shinji never really liked Wahlberg, always citing his bostonian accent as a point of discontent, but Ted was a funny change. The funny pot-smoking bear and man, the hotness of Mila Kunis, and just the funny circumstances surrounding the friendship between man and bear best-friend.

"What?" Asuka asked, her eyes focused on the same exact thing.

"I need to go shopping tomorrow, do you wanna come?" Shinji asked while putting down his empty box of food.

"Sure, what time?" Asuka asked, looking up at a surprised Shinji. The young man honestly did not expect her to say yes, he thought Asuka would have liked to sleep late into the afternoon.

"Around 11? I was hoping to hit the gym in the morning and make some breakfast" Shinji responded. He wanted to wake up at roughly 8:30 or 9am, make a quick breakfast, hit the gym, shower, and then go out.

"Sure, I don't mind going to the gym. Plus you promised to make breakfast everyday" Asuka said, turning her attention back to the television. The movie was coming to an end soon and it was still only 9. Asuka was not ready to turn in yet, but after downing a couple beers during the movie, Asuka could not help but feel a tad tipsy. Shinji, on the other hand, drank just as much but was not feeling any effects.

"Hey, it's still pretty early. You wanna play some games?" Asuka asked as the movie came to an end.

"Sure, what do you have?" Shinji responded as he got up to clean up the mess on the table. Asuka squatted in front of her cabinet and skimmed through some of her games while Shinji got a wet cloth and wiped down the table. From an 3rd person perspective, it looked as if Shinji and Asuka had lived together for a long time, when in reality, it's been like 4 hours. There movements were completely in-sync, almost choreographed set to music.

"I have Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, NBA 2K13, and the rest are single-player games" Asuka replied setting the aforementioned games on the table. Shinji walked over and picked them up, carefully looking at each. He had experience with each game except Portal 2, but he was unsure as to which he wanted to play.

"I'll let you choose" Shinji concluded and handed her the games. Asuka quickly picked out Street Fighter and popped it in the PS3. Shinji grabbed the black dualshock 3 controller situated next to the ps3 and sat down. Shinji had Street Fighter, but he was never amazing at it. He preferred playing single-player, story driven games like Dragon Age or Mass Effect.

"Okay, I'll go with...Ryu" Shinji said as he locked in Ryu, probably the most iconic character in Street Fighter.

"Okay, I'll go with...your rival, Akuma…" Asuka responded.

The two battled it out for the better part of an hour, Asuka taking the upper hand most of the time. Asuka loved playing these action games, something about it made her spark and feel good. It awoken an even darker, more vicious side of Asuka, which Shinji noted when he heard Asuka utter profanities and death threats under her breath. Shinji was taken back, to say the least.

"Okay, it's like 10. I'm gonna go study for a bit and then go to sleep" Shinji said after yawning. Asuka nodded, sleepily. She also needed to finish up some biology homework.

"Hey, why don't we ask Hikari to come with us tomorrow?" Shinji inquired, before leaving for his room. He turned around to see a blushing Asuka. Asuka had to be honest with herself, when she thought Shinji asked her out, she was happy. Unadulterated happiness.

"Uh sure. Man, beer really makes me red…" Asuka blabbed, hoping not to come across as sad or embarrassed. Shinji nodded slowly and headed back to his room. Biology wasn't suppose to be that hard, not for Shinji anyways, his parents were researchers. His dad worked for NERV, a company who produces drugs that are designed to help patients with nerve damage. His father was in charge of developing a drug to slow the effects of ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease that afflicts nerves in the brain and spinal cord, leading to paralysis of muscles. Yui Ikari, on the other hand, worked as a doctor in SEELE, a private hospital catering to the wealthy.

"Hey, Shinji! Are you in biology?" Asuka called for Shinji before Shinji entered his room. He peeked his head and confirmed that he was in biology.

"You want to study together? Hikari texted me before that you were a pretty good Biology student!" Asuka asked.

"Okay, let me get some stuff first." Shinji replied and walked into his room to get his textbook and his macbook. Following Shinji, Asuka walked into her room and took out her laptop and her textbook. Asuka did not really need help with Biology, but she just wanted to spend time with her new roommate.

"Okay, let's start" Shinji proclaimed as he put his study material on the dining table. Asuka turned to the latest lecture and they worked until it was 12am. Shinji had a better grasp on the material than Asuka had, so he took a lot of time explaining his logic behind some of the concepts and together they worked out some kinks that they didn't understand during lecture. There were times when Shinji messed up and Asuka chastised him with a loud, but comical "Idiot", but Shinji, unbeknownst to Asuka, never returned the favor. He guided the girl through each topic as best he could.

"See, the great Asuka is never wrong" Asuka exclaimed, proud of her academic prowess. But she was starting to feel the cold embrace of sleepiness, and she was ready to cozy up into her nice bed. Shinji smiled softly as the sleepy redhead stretched and yawned.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go get some sleep. If you want to hit the gym with me tomorrow, I'll wake you up for breakfast." Shinji said as he gathered his books and laptop. He got up out of his chair and headed to his room. After putting his stuff down, Shinji headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face before bed. As he stepped out of his bathroom after a nice brush and a quick facial cleansing, he heard a faint snoring from the living room. He walked out of the corridor to see the redhead asleep on the couch.

"Wow, she must be tired" Shinji muttered softly to himself, scared of waking up the sleeping redhead. He quickly hoisted her up in his arms and walked over to her room. There was a faint strawberry scent that enchanted the young man as he carried her. He could not help but take a nice long inhale as he tried to capture her entire scent. To Shinji, it was intoxicating, and it attracted him more than any food dish or any perfume. He smiled softly, and open Asuka's door. He tucked the young girl in before heading back into the kitchen to pack away Asuka's stuff.

Shinji patted Asuka's blankets to make sure she was properly tucked in. Unknown as to what came over him, he knelt near Asuka's face and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. As Shinji retreated, he could not help but smile again. He quietly exited the room and turned off the lights as he left. He immediately got under his covers and waited for sleep to overcome him. But it didn't. Sleep did not claim the young man for its own, rather Shinji stayed awake. He looked at the digital clock on the nightstand next to his bed. 12:30am.

Shinji sat up on his bed and hugged his knees. Shinji was, in all honesty, confused. There was less than 10 feet that separated him from the most beautiful girl in the world, the girl that played him in basketball, the girl was beat him in Street Fighter, the girl who slapped him twice in one day, and the girl that he could not stop stealing glances at. Shinji began reflecting on what had transpired in the last 15 hours. He got involved in a hit-and-run in the library, he met the really beautiful and funny and cheeky Hikari Hokari, and then he met Asuka Soryu. He ate lunch with his new friends, he had coffee with his future roommate, he walked out on his Japanese, Jamaican-born roommate, he moved in with a girl he just met, his dad said he loved him, and then he kissed a girl he just met and moved in with on the forehead after she fell asleep.

Shinji looked up at the ceiling. Another unfamiliar ceiling, but looking at it made him feel comfortable. Before, when he asked Asuka to go shopping with him, he was actually asking her out on a date. But, what had he done to deserve Asuka? Shinji thought that he was just a pot-smoking, beer-drinking, basketball loving kid who got lucky and made it into Tokyo University. Shinji thought he was nothing special - no, rather he thought that he was less than average when compared to Asuka. He wanted to ask her out, he wanted to stand next to Asuka and be her boyfriend, but Shinji knew that he could not. He could never ever match up to Asuka, or even Hikari.

But Shinji didn't want to be alone. He never shared his feelings nor had he ever loved anyone other than his family. He was ousted from the basketball team because he could not trust anyone, only himself. For some reason, Shinji did not want to get hurt nor did he want to risk feeling any pain. He was scared of Asuka. Not of Asuka, he was scared of what could happen if he asked Asuka out. When she said sure, Shinji was quite ecstatic inside, but it was quickly swallowed by his own insecurities that he knew that he was not ready to get over yet.

But Shinji was getting closer to overcoming his fear. He noticed a single tear on his blanket, and smiled softly. He was such a pussy. He got back under the covers and fell asleep. Unknown to him, Asuka wasn't actually asleep. Well, she was, but she woke up when she felt Shinji carry her. No one falls sound asleep that fast. But she did not give off any indication that she was awake, she wanted Shinji to carry her for a bit longer. Smell herself on him a tad longer. Be a woman for just a second longer. Shinji was the first to ever treat her so tenderly. Her father never really showed Asuka any affection; Asuka was even happy that her mother divorced him and relocated to Japan. Sure there were hardships, Asuka was always reassured that her mother would care for her and love her. Yes, Asuka cried sometimes, but not for long. Her mother always had a sense for when her daughter was feeling sad or stressed and always came to Asuka. Asuka was happy that her mother remarried someone who cared for the two Soryu's, but Asuka also felt sad. Asuka felt like a burden on her mother, now that Kyoko had remarried, Asuka could finally let her mother have her happiness.

Asuka loved how tenderly Shinji treated her as he gently placed her in her bed. Her heart thumped and thumped and thumped, and she was glad that Shinji thought her blushing was merely a side effect from the alcohol. She opened her eyes when she heard Shinji left her room, her heart sank a little lower, but she quickly closed her eyes as she heard Shinji enter her room. She heard him delicately placing her notebook and laptop on her desk. Asuka did not expect what Shinji would do next.

She felt something a tad wet on her forehead. Asuka realized she was being kissed, she wanted so badly to kiss Shinji back. It took all her willpower to stop herself from grabbing the young man and kissing him on the lips. She wanted to so badly. Asuka wanted to feel loved, or even wanted. Why didn't he want her? She heard the light switch click and her door close, and she opened her eyes. Blurry. Why was her vision blurry?

She quickly sat up in her bed and contemplated what just happened. She met Shinji Ikari, a guy who she thought was like every other guy, but he was different. She slapped him, hard. It stung her hand, and she wanted Shinji to explode. She wanted Shinji to call her "unwomanly" or a "bitch", but he did not. Shinji refrained from hurting her feelings, rather he joked with her. She antagonized him further, hoping to get at least a reaction out of him. To her surprise, Shinji did not retaliate, rather he offered to cook her breakfast every morning. Like a husband would.

Asuka hated being treated as inferior, a deep seated hatred that goes all the way back to how her father treated her and her mother. She wanted to be taken seriously, and more than that, she loved being men who treated her inferiorly. She never had a boyfriend because she hated guys who would simply accompany her or completely disregard her opinion. But Shinji was different. When her stomach growled, he laughed. When she ate like a pig, he laughed and joked with her. Not at her, with her. He took her seriously in basketball, and while Asuka saw that Shinji gave up a few baskets, he was doing it out of fun, not because he pitied her.

Asuka wanted Shinji to love her, want her, and above all, cherish her. She wanted it so much, but why would he? Why the fuck would such a nice guy want a she-devil like her? She didn't make a sound as a stream of silent tears fell from her eyes. She was so excited when Shinji asked her out, she wanted to go out with him, and make him see her in a different light. But she was mistaken and had her heart ripped out by a guy who did not mean any malice.

It's kind of funny how two people can have these feelings about each other, two people have this unspoken chemistry, be so in tune, but out of tune. Asuka got back under her covers and prayed that sleep would whisk her pain away. But like Shinji, she could not fall asleep. She felt lonely, and she felt ashamed for what she wanted to do. She just wanted to lie next to the guy in the next room.

She got up and quietly walked over to Shinji's room. He looked asleep, but unbeknownst to Asuka, he wasn't. Shinji felt someone crawl next to him in bed. He did not say a word because he did not need to. He felt lonely too. He wanted someone next to him for that night. His soulmate that would never be his soulmate.

"Shinji-" Asuka began, her voice trembling.

"Don't say anything. I get it," Shinji quietly said, cutting her off, "I really do"

With this, the two quietly drifted off into a peaceful slumber. They did not even bother to wake up at 9 nor did they want to. They just wanted to bask in each other's company just a tad longer.


	5. Chapter 5: The Kind of Date

I do not own NGE or anything related to NGE.

I will eventually introduce the rest of the cast. I'll try to get a chapter a week out until like Chapter 10, then it'll be weekly.

Chapter 5: The Kind-Of Date

It was cold. It was really cold. Shinji could feel nothing but the cold as his eyes fluttered open. With a yawn, he glanced to his right and saw the time, 11:45am. Wow, he overslept. He planned on going to the gym early in the morning, but that obviously fell through. Shinji was shivering and he had no idea why. He looked over to his left and he saw his pile of blankets in a cocoon shape. Shinji cautiously pushed the cocoon, fearful of what would leap out. The biting question in Shinji's mind was: who is in my bed?

"Sto-stop…" a feminine voice said quivering under the blankets. Shinji closed his eye and massaged his nasal bridge hoping to remember what happened last night. He remember carrying Asuka to bed and then he remember Asuka getting into his bed to sleep. Shinji peered down and saw that he was, luckily, wearing his pajamas.

"Wake up, you said you would go shopping with me" Shinji said softly to the cocoon. It was a bright Saturday morning outside, but Shinji could not care less. He wanted to see the redhead all messy after a night's sleep, to see her cute face marred by sleep. And he wanted to kiss her, but Shinji suppressed that urge.

"No...Let me sleep...5 more minutes" Asuka moaned before going back to sleep. She did not want Shinji to see her...disgraceful morning looks. Unkempt hair, dried drool? She could not let the young man see her at her lowest state, especially her embarrassing stunt last night. She heard the beautiful laugh that emanated from the young man's mouth and felt the weight shift off the bed.

"Fine, I'll go make breakfast. Sleep tight, princess" Shinji joked before exiting the room, closing the door behind him. Shinji relaxed against the closed door, cursing himself for not doing anything while congratulating himself for not doing anything. He sighed and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Once Asuka heard the young man close the door, she flung off the blankets. She was frustrated, at the young man and at herself. At least he did not make it awkward, she was happy he didn't make a huge fuss or say anything funny. But why did he have to be so natural about it? Like it was the most natural thing in this world that Asuka Langley Soryu would sleep in his bed. She wasn't even his girlfriend and that's where she was really mad. If Shinji had said something, it would have indicated some level of affection. Even better would be a kiss good morning, but Asuka knew that Shinji was not a Fabio-esque person, and she was glad to a certain extent. She laid back down and closed her eyes. She didn't want to get out yet.

Shinji exited the bathroom and walked to the kitchen. Shinji craved some curry, his mother's curry, which his mother taught him how to make. But, like with most motherly dishes, Shinji could not get the exact flavor, but he was close. He pulled out the rice and then he heard Asuka exit his room. She tried to be stealthy as to not raise any suspicion, but Shinji had hearing as good as Dumbo's. He quickly turned to the messy redhead and smiled.

"Morning...princess," Shinji greeted the messy bedhead, "I like your afro". Shinji chuckled to himself as Asuka quickly hurried into her room for her undergarments so she could shower and fix herself up. She ran into her room, her heart pounding and her face red. The nickname, Princess, rang in her ears. Her heart pounded in her ears whenever he said it, even if he said it to make fun of her.

"Hey, call Hikari, let's hang out later" a voice said behind the door making Asuka jump a little bit. She had no idea that Shinji was talking to her.

"O-okay, I'll call her" Asuka responded, softly. She heard Shinji chuckle softly behind her and his footsteps got quieter and quieter as he walked back to the kitchen. Asuka got up, her legs wobbly, and walked over to her phone. She found Hikari's number in her phone and dialed her. She waited impatiently for the brunette to pick up.

"Hello, Asuka" the familiar voice said over the phone.

"Good morning, Hikari" Asuka responded meekly.

"It's already 12, Asuka! Good morning to you as well," Hikari greeted, "you sound a tad off today, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit sleepy" Asuka lied, she was still shaken at having slept next to Shinji.

"Anyways, what's up?" Hikari asked, breaking Asuka out of her short trance.

"Oh yeah, do you want to hang out later?" Asuka asked, hoping her best friend would say no.

"Yeah, sure. Is Shinji coming? Can I invite Toji?" Hikari inquired.

"Yeah, I can call him to find out." Asuka answered, but only the first part. She wasn't always fond of Toji's presence. He seemed really thick at times and unaware of his surroundings. In tandem with his lack of a filter, Toji was a force to be reckoned with. Not that anyone would want to.

"Okayyyyy. How about Toji?" Hikari asked, hopeful that her boyfriend could join them.

"FINE. I DON'T CARE ANYWAYS" Asuka forcefully replied. She couldn't deny the brunette, she was too cute. Even for Asuka. Asuka, even more frustrated, hung up the phone and gathered her undergarments and shuffled into the bathroom, but not before Shinji caught her.

"Hey, what do you want to eat? I don't really feel like eating at home" Shinji asked the angry redhead. Home. That world resonated with Asuka and tempered her mood. Shinji could have sworn he saw the edges of her lips curl before earning a chop to his head.

"Fine, let's eat out then. We're meeting Hikari later, go text her or something" Asuka said, her eyes averted from the young man. She quickly ended the conversation by entering the bathroom. Shinji pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows in confusion. He had no idea what the redhead was thinking, all Shinji could think about was how cute she looked when she was so disheveled. He still wondered why Asuka climbed into bed with him, but he did not question her. She gave him what he wanted: her company. Even if there was no sexual connotations, Shinji was happy that he got to share his warmth with the young woman. For 11 hours even.

Shinji walked into his room to get his phone. Upon reaching his phone, he was welcomed with a call from a certain, Hokari-san, on his phone. He answered it with a courteous hello and she responded with an emphatic Good Morning.

"So, Asuka asked if we could hang out today!" Hikari stated.

"Yeah, I asked her to ask you." Shinji said, meekly. Now that he thought of it, why didn't he just ask her himself.

"Wait…" Hikari said, while trying to make sense of it.

"Yeah, never mind. That was stupid. Where are you?" Shinji said, cutting the young brunette from her thoughts.

"I'm actually coming over to Asuka's place with my boyfriend right now." Hikari responded to which Shinji was surprised. A boyfriend? Shinji could not say he wasn't surprised, but nevertheless, the boyfriend of Hikari was a friend of his.

"Yeah, cool. I'll see you soon." Shinji concluded before closing the call. He saw that it was only 15 degrees celsius today, so he had to dress accordingly. He sorted through his suitcase to find a sweater, only to find his thick, dark blue shawl cardigan. Shinji threw on his pair of black jeans, his light blue button down from yesterday, and his cardigan. Looking at the mirror that hung on his wall, he fixed himself up. He learned how to dress himself from his father. Well, not his father, but his father became a glaring example for what not to do. Gendo Ikari was by all definitions of the phrase, fashion-illiterate. He had unfashionable amber oval glasses with a 1970's bright red turtleneck and dark blue slacks. That was the basis of Gendo's attire and Shinji's elementary schoolmates made fun of his "grandpa father". As Shinji was fixing his collar, he heard the doorbell ring.

"Shinji, can you get that?" Asuka yelled from the shower. Shinji walked from his bedroom to the front door and opened it, only to come face-to-face with Hikari and a mysterious figure. Hikari could not look more shocked, like the Screaming Man painting.

"Wha-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Hikari yelled while grabbing Shinji's collar. Her face was bright red with anger. How could he sleep with Asuka? She felt mistaken and ashamed that she knew such a disgusting and horny man.

"I've failed Asuka" Hikari cried and as Shinji went over to explain himself, he felt his 3rd slap in 2 days echo across his face. Then he heard Asuka walk out of the bathroom, wrapped up by her towel. Asuka looked at the 3 figures in her living room and then, she realized what happened. This must have looked terribly incriminating and easily mistaken for a more scandalous situation.

"I'll explain in 10 minutes, let me get dressed!" Asuka yelled, abandoning Shinji to the wrath of her best friend. Shinji looked in disbelief as Asuka left him to fend for himself. How was he going to get himself out of this hole? Shinji quickly turned back to see Hikari raise her hand, preparing to slap the young man. Shinji closed his eyes and waited for the slap to come. He braced his entire face so he could take the impact of the slap. But it never came.

"Wait, Hikari. Soryu said she would explain" a masculine voice said as Shinji opened his eyes. The man, who must have been Hikari's boyfriend, was holding the girl's wrist. Shinji saw the young man quickly peck the Hikari on the cheek, calming her whilst causing her to blush. She looked at Shinji, who was caressing his right cheek, a tear in his right eye.

"Explain yourself, SHINJI IKARI!" Hikari yelled sitting down on the couch. Shinji looked over at the young man, who was laughing a little. Squinting at the new figure, Shinji made out who the guy was.

"Hey...did you tackle me yesterday?" Shinji asked the man. The man looked over, evidence plastered all over his face. Shinji hit the bullseye.

"N-no…" Hikari's boyfriend defended, shoddily might I add. Shinji sighed and just laughed.

"Well, it's okay. You saved me from getting slapped by your girlfriend" Shinji said, forgiving the man. It was at this point that Shinji really took into account the appearance of the guy. He was a solid inch or two taller than Shinji, and was lanky, but not like Shinji. This guy looked like an athlete and judging by his size, he probably ran track.

"Sorry about that before. I was in a rush for class!" the guy said, while shaking Shinji's hand, "My name is Toji Suzahara by the way"

"I'm-" Shinji began introducing himself before Toji cut him off.

"Shinji Ikari right? I heard Hikari shout your name. You should probably explain why you're in the devil's apartment before she blows up again" Toju said, but Shinji caught onto devil. Asuka was pretty bad at times, but saying devil went a little far. Shinji turned around to see an impatient Hikari, sitting on the couch, glaring at the two guys who were having a casual chat.

"I'll give you one minute" Hikari said, eyeing the clock.

"Well, I had some coffee with Asuka, I asked her if I could move in, I moved in, we played basketball, we had dinner, we watched a movie, we played a video game, she fell asleep, I helped her to her bed-" Shinji said as fast as he could, hoping Hikari wouldn't catch that last bit, but she clearly did when she raised her eyebrow. She slowly got up from the couch, and Shinji could swear he saw the aura of a tiger emanating from behind her. She seemed 10 feet tall and Shinji became a dwarf in comparison.

"Let him finish, Hikari" Toji pleaded while slowly moving back. Even he was scared, but he was fast. Toji could run, at least he could run. Toji began rationalizing why he should ditch Shinji, his fellow man, and why it was okay.

"I'll let you finish, but. It. Better. Be. Good" Hikari said slowly, emphasizing that she was angry.

"I tucked her in, and I went to bed. That's why I'm here, its cuz I live here!" Shinji exclaimed, before shielding his face for the brutal assault he was sure to come. But once again, Shinji was wrong, Hikari did not attack him. Shinji looked over at Toji and saw that he was sighed in relief. Shinji looked over at Hikari and she was all smiles. Like some bipolar-esque change right there.

"Well, that's better. So what did you have planned?" Hikari asked, innocently almost as if she had forgotten their tense exchange moments prior.

"Get some food, I need to buy some stuff. Pajamas, body wash, and some decor for my room" Shinji explained while counting what he needed on his fingers.

"Yo, I know of a great ramen spot!" Toji exclaimed, his face full of excitement. It turned Shinji off a bit, like his over-enthusiasm drained Shinji's spirit. Shinji could only nod in response while Toji told his girlfriend about how good it was going to be. Hikari smiled at her boyfriend and laughed. Not a fake laugh, a hearty _real_ laugh. Shinji could not help but envy them, envy their openness, envy what they had and he felt he would never have. He could feel the invisible black claw of his own insecurities grabbing him as he watched the two. They looked natural.

"Hey, let's go" Asuka said, tapping Shinji's head breaking him out of his trance. He looked up at the redhead and he was taken back by her. Like Shinji, Asuka had an impeccable sense of fashion and she pulled together looks like no big deal. Even if she was just wearing a flowery dress with a denim jacket and boots, she pulled it off with such grace that even Shinji was at a loss for words.

"Uhh, yeah, let's go" Shinji stuttered as he got up. His companions looked at Shinji, puzzled as Shinji stumbled as he got up. He walked over and put on his desert boots and left with the group.

"So, what are we eating again?" Shinji asked the young man to his right. The girls were walking up ahead chatting, leaving the two guys to talk.

"Ippudo Ramen. It's fairly new, but it's pretty cheap and tasty." Toji replied. Shinji looked over at the man, and right off the bat, Shinji noticed that Toji was the type of guy to show emotion on his face. And right now, it seemed like he wanted to ask Shinji a question. If he wasn't going to take the plunge, Shinji felt like he had to.

"What did you want to ask me about?" Shinji sighed.

"Well, for starters, what do you see in that redhead devil?" Toji asked, rather bluntly. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for his girlfriend's best friend.

"I honestly don't know, but Asuka is special." Shinji said, softly, "I just look at her and it makes me feel weird inside. First time I've met a girl who did that to me" Shinji found it hard to describe how he felt about Asuka, he especially found it hard to quantify what he saw in the fiery redhead. It was harder to pinpoint what aspect of Asuka made Shinji's heart go thump.

"All I know is that, I can't be her boyfriend, or anything more than a friend," Shinji continued as the taller man listened, "I'm just a bland guy and she's someone better, I guess" That was the best way to sum up how he felt and to Shinji's credit, he did a good job describing it. When Shinji looked to Toji for confirmation, he was met with a look of disapproval and thorough disappointment.

"You know, that's a load of bullshit" Toji said, emphasizing bullshit. Shinji had come to realize that this guy was blunt and straightforward, a stark to Shinji's around-about personality. Toji made no effort to conceal his disdain, and Shinji felt somewhat comforted that he knew someone who could give it to him straight.

"We're buddies, right?" Toji asked after a minute of silence. Shinji nodded.

"Then as your friend, I insist you ask her out." Toji proposed. Shinji didn't respond. He didn't know how to. His heart wanted him to, but he knew she would reject me. He knew his response.

"No. I won't." Shinji said abruptly and quickly abandoned the discussion by increasing his pace, leaving a confused Toji behind. Toji had been raised on the value that a man should be upfront and confront whatever is bothering him to lead a full life. To him, it was a clear lesson of owning up to who you are as a person and doing what you feel right, ignoring your own personal doubts and insecurities. However, Toji knew where Shinji was coming from, when he asked out Hikari, Toji was also scared that he wasn't good enough for her. Toji frowned and ran to catch up to the other three.

"I'll have the...Pork Tonkotsu Ramen." Asuka ordered, rounding out the four. Asuka looked around the ramen shop and it was fairly packed. They had to wait a good 8 to 10 minutes before being seated. Asuka scanned the rather small restaurant, there were roughly 5 booths, a couple seats in front of the chef, and probably a handful of tables. As the redhead surveyed the area, her eyes fell on her new roommate, who was casually talking to Toji and Hikari about school, work, and hobbies. Instantly, a wave of embarrassment crashed into her very being as she recalled him kissing her forehead, her cuddling next to him in bed.

"So, princess, what's on your mind?" Shinji asked, noticing Asuka's beet red face. He knew what she was thinking, because Shinji was trying his best not to think about it. Asuka saw Shinji's calm face, but for some unknown reason, she knew it was a facade. Shinji was probably just as torn up inside as she was, but he was calm enough not to display it.

"Nothing, just a little hungover from last night" Asuka quickly lied, "Idiot." Asuka saw a smile cross Shinji's face as he turned away from the redhead. She was appalled that the young man took pleasure in her embarrassment.

"So, why did you decide to move out of the dorms?" Hikari asked.

"Well, I had a Jamaican-" Shinji began answering the question.

"YOU HAD A BLACK ROOMMATE?" Toji asks, super excited, "Does he know Usain Bolt?"

"What? No, what the fuc- anyways, he was a heavy pot smoker, but he was a nice guy. I rather live in a cleaner, less marijuana-stained apartment." Shinji continued. Judging from Hikari's facial expressions, Shinji realized that Hikari lived a clean life, unplagued by drugs or anything of the sort. Moreover, Shinji figured out how a different light was casted upon him.

"It's okay, Hikari. I didn't do pot...that much" Shinji said, coughing the last part out, hoping Hikari would not catch on. Shinji had a feeling that Toji did not care, and he was right, Toji did not care. Toji, himself, smoked once or twice when the pain of running really got to him. But his parents caught him smoking pot because Toji, absentmindedly, forgot that weed has a very distinct scent. But his reason for smoking was to alleviate the pain in his legs that he got from running track.

"Wait, you've done it before?" Hikari asked, clearly catching the last part. The brunette was, quite honestly, surprised that Shinji had done marijuana before, he seemed like such a clean cut, nice guy. She had always assumed potheads were a dirty, and all-around unappealing group.

"Like once or twice, at a party. I haven't done it in a while, don't worry, it's not a habit" Shinji responded, hoping to appease the young woman he sat diagonally from. Shinji looked over and saw that her face had not relaxed. Shinji looked across and saw Toji, just as surprised. The couple had adopted each other's facial expressions, it was pretty weird, to say the least.

"Oh, it's no big deal. I didn't do anything bad at these parties, I only made out a bit…"Shinji said, trying to comfort the two before realizing what he said. He looked over to his right, and saw the redhead gasping. She looked very mad as opposed to the other two. Shinji tried to laugh it off, but to no avail. Shinji should've just stamped the word idiot to his head because thats how he saw himself now.

"Okay, at least you didn't sleep with anyone, right?" Toji said, trying to rectify the situation. Shinji looked the man in the eye and there was this unspoken manly connection. Shinji looked at the two girls, one angry one surprised, and smiled meekly while nodding.

"Look, they didn't mean anything…" Shinji told Asuka. He didn't know why he felt compelled to tell her, but he did anyways.

"Why do I care who you make out with? HUH? You fucking idiot" Asuka responded, in anger. Asuka was clearly displeased at Shinji and his revelation, but she was more displeased that he felt the need to appeal to her and tell her those girls meant nothing. That meant she meant something to him. Even more so, Asuka had never kissed a boy before, and Shinji had the one-up on her which infuriated the proud Germany-Japanese halfbreed.

"Here is the ramen you guys order" The waiter said as he approached the table with another employee, holding 4 bowls of steaming hot ramen. Toji loved ramen, especially on a cool day like today. Shinji looked at the bowl of ramen in front of him, the steam lightly toasted Shinji's face as the smell violated his nose. The first taste was amazing, it was porky, rich, and it was so indulgent. He looked over to his right and saw the redhead thoroughly enjoying her ramen.

"The total is 2100 yen, thank you" the waiter said as he handed us his check. Toji took out a 1000 yen note and put it on the table, and turned to his girlfriend and began flirting. Shinji and Asuka couldn't hear the two talking nor did they want to. It was probably cutesy crap that neither of them wanted to indulge in. But they never got the chance to.

"So, we gon-" Shinji started to suggest how they should split the bill.

"You pay" Asuka answered quickly and abruptly. Shinji looked over at the haughty redhead and he knew she wasn't going to pay unless Shinji set the Russians against her. He relented and put down 1100 yen on the table. Shinji looked over at the pouting redhead and saw that her hand was on the bench, out of sight. He smiled softly as he placed his hand over hers. It was soft. Shinji expected a slap from the angry redhead, but when he looked up, she saw the redhead looking away from him, redder than a red sea, if that analogy made sense.

"Okay, princess" Shinji joked, his hand not receding from its position on top of the anxious redhead. Luckily, Toji and Hikari were too absorbed in their own world to take notice of what was happening in the small confines across them. Shinji motioned for the waiter to take the cheque away and he sat there. Deep down, Shinji knew that Toji was right, he had to man up and talk to Asuka. But not right this second, not even today. When he felt ready to tell Asuka that he had feeling for her, he would. But at this second, he just wanted to hold her hand for a second longer and emulate what was transpiring across them. As Shinji observed the couple, he felt that they were close, yet on the other side of the planet.

"I'm gonna let go" Shinji told Asuka, really softly so that only the redhead could hear. Shinji slowly removed his hand, before Asuka grabbed it. Like Shinji, Asuka liked feeling Shinji's hand on top. Sure, she felt a little bothered by what he said and what he had done, but he was still Shinji, right? She felt a reaction like when two fitting enzymes meet. She felt like they fit. But like any reaction, they needed time.

"Not yet" Asuka muttered. Shinji smiled softly before settling in the booth. A minute passed, but it seemed like a long eternity. Slowly, Shinji got up and gestured for the group to leave.

Tokyo is a huge shopping city, and it was crowded on a Saturday. Shinji and Asuka split up from the the couple after lunch as they made plans to do "couple" things. Shinji and Asuka found themselves in a familiar setting after walking around for an hour. Shinji ordered a latte while Asuka chose to go low calorie and just ordered a regular Green Tea Mocha, whatever the fuck that is. Luckily, the coffee shop was a sit-down affair, very quaint and quiet. Shinji sipped his coffee while looking at the young redhead, hunched over trying to make herself look smaller. He noticed how her eyes were unable to meet his, but Shinji didn't mind. He was purposefully trying to be bold, to be someone that he thought Asuka would like. Shinji, after meeting Toji, was jealous of Toji's demeanor and his affinity for the "no-bullshit" rule, something that Shinji felt the need to adopt.

"Asuka, what's the matter?" Shinji asked quietly, making sure not to disturb the other guests. He took another small sip of his latte, taking in the bitter, but rich taste that enveloped his mouth and easily washed over the taste of the ramen. He looked at the redhead, who turned her head away quickly as his eyes focused on her. Shinji did not expect the girl to steal glances at him, it was Shinji-patented.

"Hey, I know something's up. Answer me" Shinji said, more forcefully this time. The redhead did not budge, but he knew what would force her hand.

"Wow, last night was cold. Man, I didn't know that the great Asuka Soryu was a blanket hog" Shinji joked, to which Asuka quickly beamed at him.

"You will never tell anybody about this!" Asuka commanded to which Shinji nodded playfully. Asuka raised the cup of green tea mocha to her lips and took a sip. It was a paradox of flavors that should never be combined, but Asuka liked it. In ways, it reflected who she was, but she could not put a finger on why it was.

"Trust me, no one would care that the great Asuka Soryu fell asleep on the couch and made me carry her into her room." Shinji said, raising his eyebrows, clearing toying with the explosive redhead.

"You...you…" Asuka said angrily and unable to find the appropriate insults to fling at the young man. The standard idiot, pervert, and asshole could not begin to describe what Asuka planned on saying to him.

"You..what, Princess?" Shinji said, elbows on the armchair and hands tented in front of him. He flashed the blushing girl a sarcastic, overly bright smile. This was undeniably out of character for the young man, Shinji was usually more courteous and passive, but this felt natural. He could not let the princess dictate him and how this conversation would turn out. Plus, he had time, he already got his bathroom supplies. He wanted to go shopping for clothes, but he didn't mind hanging out with Asuka.

"Never mind, I can't describe how much I hate you!" Asuka retorted, feigning venom in her voice, but failed when she cracked at hate. Shinji looked down and pursed his lips, careful not to laugh at Asuka, who was beating herself up over the mistake. Shinji looked up and smile contently. Asuka turned away, embarrassed at her mishap. The two sat like this for the duration of their 30 minute stay, careful to not break the delicate balance and relationship the two had sustained. Shinji glanced at his watch, it was already 3:30.

"Come on, I'll buy you a video game. Stop pouting" Shinji said, comforting the young girl. Asuka did not respond, she wanted Shinji to fish for something.

"Fine, if you don't want a new video game, suits me. I don't have to waste 6000 yen." Shinji snickered, looking at the redhead for a response. Nothing. Shinji just laughed a bit, but subsided when he saw how upset Asuka was. Shinji sighed in desperation and grabbed her hand. Naturally, Asuka tried to yank her hand away, but to avail. Shinji held on tight, and started walking. He had been there plenty of times, but just passing by. Shinji was more determined to talk than Asuka was determined to keep her feelings undisclosed.

"Where are we going?" Asuka said, softly, to Shinji's surprise. He thought the young girl would erupt and just straight up attack him. But, this side was as endearing as the other of Asuka. He wondered what the young woman was thinking. But he had a vague idea. Asuka felt upset at herself for having these conflicting emotions. She was mad that she did not make the first move and she was even more mad that Shinji felt the need to push this. Push her into feeling something more.

"I know of a place." Shinji simply stated.


	6. Chapter 6: Damaged

I don't own NGE or Anything NGE related. All that jazz.

Chapter 6: Damaged

It was bright. But for the young man sitting on the bench facing the horizon, the redhead sitting next to him was brighter than the setting sun. It sounds cliche and even a tad cringe, but he could not control it. The two had sat on that bench for the last hour, content with silence rather than confront the elephant in the room. The two stared ahead, contemplating on what the next best move was, like two chess masters engaging in a chess game.

"It's getting cold." Shinji stated matter-of-factly, grimacing as he should have thought of a follow-up. Asuka nodded, unfocused and somewhat dazed. Shinji knew that she wasn't her usual self, rather this was the side of Asuka that he hoped only he saw. Although he knew her for a total of roughly 30 hours, Shinji felt an invisible bond of steel between the two. Like two kindred spirits that just happened to meet and from the seamless way the two interact, it metaphor seemed true. Quite frankly, Shinji felt a feeling similar to this before, but he was shot down by a girl he thought was perfect. Blue hair, pale white skin, angelic even.

"Yeah, let's go home" Asuka said after a minute or two or five, Shinji had lost count. The two got up, silently and walked home in the basking sunset. Noticing the young girl's shivering, Shinji removed his sweater and put it on Asuka's shoulders, surprising her and breaking her out of her trance. Asuka looked up at the young man, opening her mouth to thank him, but found herself unable to even make a sound. She found her lack of flare and her overabundance of emotions troubling and it made her feel vulnerable. She could not decide whether or not Shinji was toying with her, but she had a feeling he wasn't.

"I'll make dinner" Shinji said softly as the two entered the apartment. Shinji walked to his room and put down his items. He quickly changed out of his clothing and into something more comfortable, tank top and fleece pants. As Shinji left his room, he saw Asuka's door closing. He walked over to knock, but like Asuka prior, he could not bring himself to do so. He did not know what to say. Rather, he was scared of what she was going to say. Shinji dropped his arm and gently placed his forehead on the door, careful not to make a sound as to alert Asuka of his presence. After a minute of silence, Shinji went to make dinner.

Asuka had not spoken for the last hour, she couldn't. Hell, she could not even think let alone speak. She sat on the floor, back to the door, and silently cried. Asuka hasn't cried since she was 15 when her grandmother died, but she had to be strong like grandma had always told her. But, sometimes strength isn't not crying or not showing emotion, but confronting them. Asuka cried because she was scared, she had no idea how to confront these feelings. These mixed emotions of joy and sadness was really doing its damage, and for the most part, Asuka was happy she felt these emotions. She wasn't conflict about who she liked, but she was conflicted in how to handle him and her.

Asuka closed her eyes and focused on the rhythmic chopping and the soothing sounds of frying. The smells reminded her of her mother and her cooking. Asuka fondly remembered when her mother made curry for her, the smells reminded her of home and of a simpler time. To Asuka, it was funny how smells can trigger such nostalgia and homesickness, but at the moment, Asuka didn't try to analyze it. She just let herself soak in it and relish it. Asuka missed home, oftentimes sitting in bed late at night wishing that she could hear her mother talking or watching television. No matter how much she felt like a burden to her mother, Asuka loved being with her. She never believed in homesickness, but now in her second week of college, Asuka was blindsided by homesickness.

Asuka slowly got up and grabbed some undergarments, getting prepared for a shower. The hot water had a calming effect on the young girl, but more importantly, it would help conceal her tears. She didn't to make Shinji sad. She quickly shuffled out of her room and into the bathroom across the hall. Despite her best efforts, Shinji caught a glance of her as she exited. He noticed the red eyes, the runny mascara, everything. His heart fell. It fell faster than gravity permitted. He felt as if someone had eaten his heart and consumed it.

He turned back to the stewing curry and stirred it, while slowly being consumed by his own thoughts. He followed the curry recipe, through and through. Ironically, Shinji's favorite home-cooked dish was made by his father, rather than his mother. His mother usually made food, but once in a blue moon, his father would make him and his mother dinner. Yes, Shinji felt somewhat detached from his father. Yes, his father loved his wife more than Shinji. Yes, Shinji always felt lackluster in comparison to the vision that his father had of him. But that does not mean Shinji didn't love his father and his father didn't love Shinji.

Shinji smiled softly, remembering when his father first made him this curry. It was when Shinji was but an 8 year old boy. His mother was out of town, and Shinji had a rough day at school. He recalled being bullied by upperclassmen, he remember crying in the bathroom, but he also remembered his dad came to save him. When the two got home, Gendo scrambled to assemble a meal rather than go out. He remembered seeing his father cut ingredients while telling Shinji funny stories, trying to cheer him up. He remembered his father serving him the curry and looking at Shinji for approval. He remembered his father shed a single tear when Shinji told him that he loved it.

The young man, a spitting image of his father when he was younger, sighed and realized he hadn't thought about his father in a long time nor had he had a true father-son moment with him since. The bathroom door opening broke Shinji's trance. He turned around to see the young woman, still a tad wet, drying her hair.

"Dinner's ready, princess" Shinji announced, while softly smiling at the girl. He was cautious to press any buttons or set the young girl off. He plated some white rice and ladled the curry over the steaming hot white rice. He took the two plates to this coffee table where Asuka had positioned herself.

"Here" Shinji said, handing Asuka the plate and a spoon. Asuka nodded in gratitude, and turned on the television. Silver Spoon was playing; it was one of Shinji's favorites. It was a simple tale of a city boy who goes to an agricultural high school, running away from his failures and his fears. The two ate in silence, tensions still high. Once Shinji and Asuka finished, the chef took the two bowls to the kitchen and gave them a thorough washing while Asuka absentmindedly watching the anime.

Once he was done with the dishes, he grabbed two beers and walked over to where the young girl was sitting. The time was nigh. He tossed the young girl a beer, shocking her. He sat down next to her, and turned off the television.

"We need to talk" Shinji stated simply, before cracking up the Yebisu beer.

"No, we don't" Asuka said, hopeful in her attempts to deter the young man.

"Hell yeah, we do" Shinji said, insistent on an actual conversation. He looked over at the young woman.

"FINE. What the fuck do you want me to say?" Asuka yelled, her response not phasing the young man. He was prepared to trudge through the thick quicksand that was Asuka.

"Look at me." Shinji commanded, this time in a low and very serious tone. Asuka slowly turned to the young man, looking him in the eyes. In his eyes, she saw a confident young man, but beneath that she saw something radically different. She saw a guy whose emotions were fragile and he was scared. In Asuka's eyes, Shinji saw someone who was scared of feeling. Not even of love, she was scared of feeling anything. Shinji saw a girl who had built the Wall of Jericho around her heart. Luckily, Shinji knew what happened to the Wall of Jericho after he got the question wrong on his history test. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

"I know it is hypocritical of me to ask you to share with me before I share with you first" Shinji finally said, after the two studied each other's identities for the last minute.

"Okay, go ahead" Asuka responded, her eyes not breaking contact with his. People often say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, and right now, it seemed more true than ever. She saw Shinji's soul, she saw it shaking with nervousness.

"The last day or two were the greatest ever. I can't describe what I'm felt the last 20 odd hours, but I can say with certainty that I wouldn't trade them for the world. Sure, I liked meeting Hikari, I liked making a new friend, but right now, that all takes a back seat to this," Shinji said, his heart thumping hard against his chest, "This has been so intense, so frustrating because I **can't **express myself. I find myself stealing glances, smiling when you smile, laughing when you laugh. Right now, It's impossibl-"

"Shinji-" Asuka interrupted before Shinji silenced her with his index finger. They were soft, her lips.

"Let me finish, please. If I don't use this rush, I'll regret it forever. What I'm trying to say is, I'm falling for you. All my life, I thought that you couldn't just fall in love. You couldn't just see a girl and say 'That's it, I'm done'. But, I have. I didn't want to confront it, I wanted to suppress myself because I thought you would hate being with someone like me. Someone so...normal, so average, so confused." Shinji continued while Asuka listened intently. Each word, each sentence pierced Asuka's heart, slowly tearing down that wall she worked hard to build up.

"But, what Toji said was right. I have to own up to this, I have to work at this. It's not going to be given to me, it's has to be something I earn. I shouldn't run away from this, I should confront it." Shinji said, this time more to himself than to Asuka. She looked at him as she fought back the tears. Asuka was running, she was hiding from the young man who was bearing his heart open.

"But, that's not your fault. It's my problem and I have to deal with it. That's it. That's all I have to say" Shinji concluded after a minute of silence as he tried to collect his thoughts. He looked at the speechless young redhead, and he knew she wasn't gonna say anything. Shinji glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 9pm, but he felt tired and weak. He didn't have any power left after baring his heart to her and having her say nothing. It hurt, and that was okay.

"It's okay, I'mma go to bed" Shinji finally said as he got up. He leaned down to give her a hug, but stopped, and switched to just a pat on her shoulder. Shinji had to respect her boundaries, to him, she didn't reciprocate his feelings. To Shinji, the solution to this was simple: just go back to being her roommate and her friend.

"Do you care about me so little that you would just walk away?" Asuka finally said, so softly that Shinji could barely hear her. Shinji turned around to see the young girl, hunched over, her shoulders softly bobbing, a soft sob emanating from her voice.

"No, I just wanna give you time. It's fine if you don't like me. Sure, I wouldn't like it. It hurts, but at least, I said something." Shinji responded, to which Asuka got up and looked at him. She was crying and this time, it ripped Shinji's heart out. He walked over and simply hugged her as she cried into his shoulder.

"It's not that I don't like you. It's not that I hate you or that I'm annoyed by you. But, why do you even like me?" Asuka asked, sobbing.

"I can't say. I just do"

Those six words cut through Asuka like a hot knife through butter. Shinji removed Asuka from his body and tilted her chin so she was looking him in the eyes.

"Asuka Soryu, you are the most beautiful person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Whenever I'm with you, I don't wanna leave. I don't wanna go to sleep, I don't wanna say bye. It sounds cliche, even a tad obsessive. I don't know what you think about me and I don't want to pressure the issue. But, I can't push myself onto you." Shinji continued, finally elaborating on his answer. He smiled softly at the crying girl before turning away. His vision was slightly blurry, but he quickly corrected it with a swipe of his hand. It was okay. He was okay. He wanted to be okay. He didn't want to feel sad anymore. The young man didn't want to feel alone anymore. He didn't want to walk through life unfocused anymore. Confessing to Asuka, while unsuccessful, was a step to reaching a state of happiness.

"Goodnight, Soryu-san" Shinji said as he walked to his room, his back to Asuka.

"Don't go"

Shinji looked at the clock to his right. 1am. He had sat in his bed, listening to music for the last 4 hours. His brain didn't even cater to the idea of sleep. Sleep had long been flung out the window when he called Asuka "Soryu-san" instead of Asuka or princess. Maybe a glass of water would help the young man sleep. Even relief of stress would be a huge bonus right now. The wood floor was cold to the touch Shinji noted as he got off his bed.

As Shinji entered the living room, he saw a sight he would never forget. It shattered his heart. It was just Asuka, hugging her knees, eyes dried from crying so much, staring into the darkness. As Shinji approached Asuka, he heard something would destroy him.

"Don't go...Shinji. Please...don't go"

Shinji clenched his jaws, tears beginning to flow from his eyes. He walked over slowly and quietly, and sat down besides the young girl. Asuka looked over, her eyes hollow, and slowly turned back. He looked at the young girl, studying her face. Sadness marred her features, defacing her beauty, erasing the smile was so full of life.

"Asuka, do you love me?"

Silence.

"Asuka, how come you don't want me to go?"

Silence.

"Asuka, I love you.

Silence.

"It's okay if you don't love me. I don't mind."

Silence.

"Sorry for hurting you."

Silence.

"It's not your fault…"

"Asuka-"

"I'm weak"

"Asuka-"

"I don't deserve-"

"Asuka, please-"

"Just love me."

"When have I stopped?"

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

"Sure...princess"

Asuka was sound asleep on Shinji's chest. No, they had not had sex nor did they plan to. It was...it was just comforting to have someone there. Someone who was like you. Someone damaged.

To Be Continued -


	7. Chapter 7: Gendo, please, nooo

I Don't Own NGE and all that Jazz. The Writing will get better, but due to my current workload, updates will come less frequently as I try to up my writing style, which is hard since this is the first one ive ever written. bear with me.

Chapter 7: Gendo, please, noo.

"Asuka…"

"Yeah, Shinji?"

"Get off me, I don't feel my arm"

"No."

"...Please" Shinji pleaded. The two of them had slept for 10 hours at this point, but were still in bed. Shinji chuckled a little when Asuka moved her head causing her soft hair to tickle Shinji's bare chest. He felt Asuka trace the lines on his body with the tip of her finger while he twirled her hair in his numb left hand. For the record, the two did not have sex last night, but it was a very peaceful night's sleep in each other's arms. He didn't mind sitting in bed for the rest of the day, just soaking in each other's presence, but he had homework to do. And for that matter, so did Asuka.

"Do you even want me to get up?" Asuka asked playfully, looking up at the young man. Shinji looked her in the eyes. This was the first time he saw that they were a dull blue. Not noticable unless you looked really close, but once you got there, you were dead in the water.

"Nah, not really" Shinji replied as he used his nails to touch Asuka's skin. Everything about Asuka was soft and flawless, well, to Shinji at least. Shinji did not know what to make of the last couple hours, and he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to relish the moment where he and Asuka were alone, just free from anything.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Shinji asked the redhead after a couple minutes. She shook her head in denial. Then, a slight grumble came from the redhead's stomach, causing Shinji to chuckle a bit. He looked down to see a blushing redhead, turning away from the young man.

"Okay, princess. I'll go make something to eat. Go shower or something" Shinji said, reluctant to move away from the clinging Asuka. Asuka watched Shinji as he walked out of the room before plopping down on the bed once more, resuming her lazy sunday. Two nights in a row, she had slept with Shinji.

"Guys are pretty warm, aren't they?" Asuka asked herself, reminiscing about waking up in the middle of the night and being lulled back to blissful sleep by the rhythmic snoring. Shinji was someone that Asuka never thought she would be attracted to. He wasn't masculine nor was he an emotional rock. He wasn't Fabio, but to her, Shinji meant something more. Asuka heard a familiar song being played, it was...the theme song for How I Met Your Mother. Was that Shinji's ringtone?

"Shinji! Your phone" Asuka called, before reaching for it. She saw the name, Misato Katsuragi. She looked at Shinji as he entered the room before tossing him the phone.

"Oh, hey Misato-San!" Shinji greeted the mysterious lady.

"Yeah, your wedding is next week? Sure, I can definitely make it" Shinji said, replying to something. Asuka was vaguely happy when she heard wedding. Just a faint smile that Shinji didn't catch.

"Wait, I can bring a plus one? Give me a sec." Shinji said before cupping the cell phone.

"Hey, princess, you wanna go to a wedding with me?" Shinji asked the redhead. Asuka was pretty surprised at the question, it wasn't something that people usually asked someone they knew for roughly 48 hours. She nodded slowly, still unsure of a response.

"Yeah, I'm bringing a plus one. Wha-yeah, she's something like a girlfriend. Hahaha, fuck you Misato. Okay, love you, bye" Shinji said, concluding the phone call before tossing it back on his bed. He looked at the girl, who looked deep in thought. He walked over to the bed and lied next to the girl, before nuzzling his face into her bright red hair.

"What's wrong, princess?" Shinji asked softly into her ear. He noticed the curl in her lips.

"Nothing. Boyfriend." Asuka responded, the last part said softly and meekly. Shinji smiled in return, before kissing the girl on the cheek causing her to blush redder than ever before. Shinji got up and walked back out of the room. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. New words for the young redhead as well as the young man. Was something suppose to change? Asuka didn't know the answer to this question, but she didn't want anything to. She lifted herself out of bed and walked into the bathroom to prepare herself.

"Hmmm, might as well make some instant udon, there's literally nothing here" Shinji said as he scanned the refrigerator. He thought back to the phone call, hopeful that it didn't make things awkward between him and Asuka. It was a big deal to go to a wedding where all of Shinji's close ones are attending, but it would have been worse to just assume that Asuka would not go. He knew Misato since he was a little kid, she was his babysitter and she taught him a lot. Misato was always a tomboy and taught Shinji how to play basketball when his parents were at work. Due to their jobs as researchers, they usually got home at 7 so Misato would take care of Shinji after school, sometimes she would even bring her boyfriend, Ryoji Kaji.

"So, who's this Misato chick?" Asuka asks as Shinji brings her bowl to the table before sitting down. Shinji smiled as he sensed a hint of jealousy on his girlfriend's part.

"Why? You jealous?" Shinji joked with his girlfriend before looking at her blushing face. Shinji took a little enjoyment from getting a rise out of his girlfriend or his close female friend, he didn't know yet.

"She's just my babysitter. She's like 10 years older than us?" Shinji answered finally. Misato was, he thought, roughly 10 or 11 years older than the two. She was in highschool when he was 6, so probably 10 or 11.

"A little bit. But, whatever. I don't mind going" Asuka said, her statement a bit mysterious. Shinji looked at Asuka, nonchalantly chewing her food. Shinji nodded with pursed lips and continued eating.

"So, when is it?" Asuka asked after a few minutes of silent chewing.

"Next monday" Shinji responded, "but its pretty far from Tokyo. You sure you wanna go? I'm not forcing you"

"Yeah, I wanna go, idiot. I wouldn't have agreed in the first place" Asuka responded, fiercely. Deep down, though she'd never admit it, Asuka wanted to be introduced as Shinji's girlfriend. It made her feel...accepted.

"You just wanna be introduced as the Great Asuka Soryu, Shinji Ikari's girlfriend" The young man joked, almost as if he was peering into Asuka's mind. When Shinji looked up at the grumbling redhead, he realized that was exactly what she was thinking. Shinji just wanted to show up with his hot girlfriend and have a good time.

"You just wanna show up all the guys there since I'm hot as hell." Asuka retorted and when she looked at Shinji's gaping mouth, she knew she hit the nail on the head. She erupted in laughter, almost spilling the udon everywhere. Shinji smiled sarcastically at the laughing redhead before continuing to eat his noodles.

"Hikari asked me if you wanna go to the library to study with Toji and their friend" Asuka asked as Shinji washed the dishes.

"Sure, why not?" Shinji responded in his usual deflective manner, "when?"

"Uhhh, 30 minutes" Asuka said, before looking at the clock. It was 12 right now, so they'd probably get to the library in 30-40 minutes. Asuka got up and walked to her room to get dressed. She smiled when she walked into her room, confident that nothing had changed between the two. Asuka had read somewhere that the words boyfriend and girlfriend are merely labels that exist for the relationship but are not meant to alter the relationship. People just expect a change when someone becomes their significant other, and Asuka was scared that a change would damage her and Shinji's relationship. Thankfully, nothing happened.

Once Shinji finished, he quickly shuffled off to his room to get dressed. He threw on a pair of khaki pants and his favorite dark blue crewneck sweater. It was so cozy he felt like he was running shirtless through a field of dead rabbit fur. Shinji made sure to pack his laptop and two textbooks, biology and calculus. He threw it in his book bag and walked out to come face to face with Asuka who was dressed in a similar get-up. A loose dark blue sweater and chinos. The two stared at each other, wide-eyed, and then the two proceeded to walk to the living room to put on their shoes. Shinji went with his comfortable white sneakers, whereas Asuka went with her comfortable white vans. Two peas in the same fucking fashion pod.

"You ready to go?" Shinji asked Asuka who walked back into her room. Shinji couldn't help but stare at her ass. It was just...tops. Firm and not too big, Shinji ain't into that big booty lyfe as his ex-roommate, Jamal called it. Asuka had, probably, the best body that Shinji had ever seen and he has seen some good stuff at the parties he went to. Sure, all the pot and alcohol really does have an inflation effect on the relative hotness of the girls at the party, but Shinji saw some really cute girls.

"Yeah, I just needed to get my wallet" Asuka said after a minute in her room. Shinji gulped as he took in the full look of his girlfriend. He was visibly shaken that **she** had slept next to him to nights in a row.

"Uh, yeah-let's go" Shinji said, stuttering a bit. He opened the door and exited the apartment. Asuka swiped her keycard, automatically locking the door. She looked over at smiling Shinji, whose hand was extended at her. She smiled back and took it. Earlier he had asked himself, what were they? That was the answer.

"So, what classes do you have tomorrow?" Shinji asked, in the elevator still holding hands with Asuka. He gave it a teasing squeeze, to which she squeezed back playfully.

"Biology, sociology, and english" Asuka responded, "How about you?" She hated Mondays, they were fully loaded with lectures and she hated sitting through 1-2 hour lectures. Eventually, she would just daze off and think about random stuff. Moreover, the lecture hall was huge and nonconductive towards learning.

"Biology, Calculus, Psychology, and English" Shinji said. He, too, despised mondays. Luckily, it was his loaded day and he got it out of the way early in the week which freed him up to do things later. Moreover, his classes were arranged so that he would have at least a 20 minute break in between classes and an hour lunch.

"I hate mondays! Shit, I can't wait to go away this weekend" Asuka complained, thankful that her trip would be on a monday. But there was the problem was redoing missing work, but she was okay with it. She'd just tell her professor and ask for Hikari's notes.

"Well, at least you're only taking 3 classes. Shit, I'm taking 4! 4 MAJOR CLASSES" Shinji exclaimed in desperation. His road to becoming a doctor was plagued with hard work and a ton of it. It was honestly quite depressing at times, but hopefully, the ends is worth it.

"What are you majoring in?" Shinji asked his girlfriend, fully unaware of Asuka's life goals. His was to be a doctor, a neurologist or something along those lines. The brain always fascinated him.

"Probably, research or doctoring. No clue yet, how about you?" Asuka responded. She had no idea what to do, but she wanted to do something science-y and that would let her flex her science muscles.

"Hey, is that Shinji?" Gendo asked his wife, Yui, as they both entered a cafe. Gendo pointed a booth that sat a redhead and a Shinji-like figure. Yui squinted her eyes and examined the boy. She thought it was a younger Gendo at first, but realized that she was, indeed, looking at her son talking to a redhead and laughing. He looked really happy, she noted. Yui studied the two for a while, noting that the redhead was very beautiful, moreover she was a natural redhead. It was very liberating and troubling to see that her young boy had been snatched away from mommy. Yui felt a single tear in her eye, but was nevertheless happy for the young man. She felt a nudge to her right.

"Here's your cup, honey. You wanna go say hi?" Gendo asked, handing his wife the cup. He was expecting a response rather than a nod. He smiled softly, something he rarely did, and followed his wife to his son's table. He noted that the redhead was quite stunning, but not better than his wife. Yui was the most beautiful in Gendo's eyes. Although he'd never say it, he'd risk the world for her. It was then that he noticed Shinji's eyes. They had been spotted.

"Hey, baby! Mind if we sit with you?" Yui asked, surprising the couple. Shinji was caught at 8pm with a girl that his parents didn't know, 2 weeks after he moved out. Shit. That was the only thing he thought. Well, and FUCKKKKKK. His mind froze except for those two words. Luckily, Asuka was quick to shake off her surprise just in time to see how boyfriend had frozen. She had to think of something. No was obviously out of the question, these two people had to be Shinji's parents from the way he reacted and also, the woman called him baby.

"Yes." The unfamiliar girl said to Yui and Gendo. Yui sat down next to the mysterious figure while Gendo sat down next to the shocked and comatose boy.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Ikari, I'm Asuka Langely Soryu" Asuka said politely, maybe even a tad overly polite, to the two figures. Mr. Ikari seemed stern from his facial expressions and the way his hand was tented above his drink and in front of his face. Yui, on the other hand, seemed warm and open.

"At ease, Soryu-san" Gendo responded before leaning back into the booth. Gendo had previously served in the military prior to becoming a researcher for NERV. Gendo had originally been born in the United States and he trained in the Military during the 1st Gulf War, but due to his more capable skills with science, he was instead allowed to go back to University to study science. Yui looked at Gendo, obviously knowing that Gendo was only trying to psych the young girl out by using militaristic lingo.

"Don't listen to him, Asuka-chan" Yui retorted, undermining Gendo's attempts to scare the

young redhead. Asuka relaxed and she looked over at Shinji, who had obviously not relaxed. He was still stunned beyond all relief. He had a "deer in the headlights" look in his eyes and he was beginning to cold sweat.

"Shinji-" Gendo began addressing his son, before he was cut off.

"This is not the Shinji you are looking for" Shinji said, hoping to deter his father from recognizing the young boy. Yui chuckled at her son while Gendo looked at Shinji as if his son was a downtrodden redneck. Shinji felt a kick to his shin from across the table, and grimaced at the pain.

"Wassup, guys…" Shinji greeted, trying to play it cooly, obviously failing since he was stuttering. To say the least, he did not expect nor want his parents to be here right now. It put a damper on his dinner plans with Asuka. He looked over at his girlfriend, who uncharacteristically was looking extremely shy and meek. Then he looked over to his brooding father who had this dark aura about him, like he was plotting your death, and then he looked over to his mother, who was beaming light at Shinji.

"Nothing, son. Who is this?" Gendo asked his son.

"Uh, dad...she told you, she's Asuka Langley Soryu" Shinji responded, meekly, hoping to deter his father. He looked over at his girlfriend who was obviously out of her element and he felt the surge to protect her and not look like a bitch.

"Fine, dad...She's my girlfriend" Shinji said, a little bit too loudly. Asuka began blushing heavily when she heard Shinji proclaim their relationship to his father. She was actually very happy, even happier when she and her mother left her father. Hell, this moment was even better than when she got into Tokyo University.

"Okay, then, son." Gendo stated before sipping at his pitch black coffee. Gendo had no idea what to say to his son. Normally, he would have grilled Shinji on the matter at hand, but this time, Gendo had no clue what to do. His son had confidently responded after a couple of really idiotic responses. Gendo gave Yui that look that meant 'I want you to grill Shinji like a goddamn steak'. Yui nodded slightly in response before turning to Asuka.

"So tell me about yourself, Asuka-chan" Yui asked the woman to her left. Asuka saw the twinkle in her eye, a devious one. She was obviously testing the young woman and trying to see something to pick apart. Asuka realized that's where Shinji gets his "teasing" from.

"Well, I'm studying medicine at Tokyo University." Asuka started, looking to see a change in mood from Yui. Nothing, so she could continue.

"I'm half-german, half-japanese. I have a mother and a stepdad in Japan, I have a step-sister who is a year younger than me." Asuka continued, once again looking for a shift from Yui. Asuka chuckled a little as Shinji touched her foot with his, which she responded in kind. Shinji and her felt like little kids again, fooling around the adults.

"Well, we should get going, honey" Gendo concluded once he had enough intruding on their date. He nudged his head motioning for Yui to leave with him. Yui sighed and got up. She had not had her fill of fun yet, but whatever, she didn't want to be a buzzkill anymore.

"Bye, kids!" Yui said, almost sassy-like before she left to which Shinji sighed in relief. He turned to Asuka, who had looked like she saw a ghost. She understood where Shinji got his mannerisms from. His seriousness and brooding from his father, which she often saw when he was studying. Group studying entails group work, but Shinji kept to himself. Only answering questions, never asking, which Asuka found very weird and somewhat endearing. In Shinji, Asuka noticed his mother's speech patterns laced with teasing and subtle hints.

"Sorry about that, my parents can be quite…" Shinji said, looking for the right word to describe his parents.

"Crazy. Scary?" Asuka joked, offering Shinji adjectives. Shinji laughed back sarcastically before smiling at the young girl who had dealt with the brunt of the parental attack. He felt a light chop on the top of his head, before playfully nursing it.

"You called me your girlfriend so loud! What was that?" Asuka asked, blushing at the moment she just recalled. Shinji flashed his smug smirk at her, causing her to chop him lightly again.

"What's wrong, princess? Should I have called you…"Shinji said, mocking her, "Honey Bunny" Shinji chuckled a bit before looking back at his new girlfriend who was red at his teasing. She was completely at his mercy and he knew it.

"You wanna get outta here?" Shinji asked the redhead before chugging the last of his latte. Asuka nodded in response before turning to make sure her bag was in order. After studying with Toji and Hikari, she was honestly exhausted. Asuka imagined that Shinji was even more tired than her since he had to go out of his way to explain it to the buffoon and his lady buffoon who had no idea what cellular respiration was. Asuka smiled a bit before turning to get out of her booth. However she was met with a set of warm lips, formed into a smile.

"How about that, girl-fri-end" Shinji said before giving her a slight kiss on her lips.


	8. Chapter 8: Empire State of Mind

I don't own NGE and all that jazz.

Chapter 8: Empire State of Mind.

"Hey, Princess. Time to wake up" Shinji coaxed the redhead sleeping soundly in his bed. Shinji poked the girl's face, repeatedly, hoping to get a reaction. A groan emanated from Asuka's mouth before she slapped his hand away. Shinji watched as her groggy blue eyes escaped it's covers. The rising sun looked nicer, Shinji admitted, but Asuka's blue eyes were nice too. The first thing Asuka noticed was the apron that Shinji had donned to cook them breakfast. It had a picture of a kid Shinji with the phrase "Get in the goddamn robot".

"What type of apron is that, you idiot?" Asuka said, behind a mixture of chortling and yawning.

"When I was a kid, I liked Gundam and saying 'Get in the goddamn robot, Kira'. My mom got me this apron for my 15th birthday." Shinji said quickly, before making an embarrassed and speedy exit. No way in hell was he going to allow Asuka to poke fun at him. He walked back to the kitchen where he was grilling salmon that he had bought last night. Behind him, Asuka had exited his room and had entered the bathroom. Shinji caught a glimpse of her as he turned around.

The wedding was in 4 days. Luckily, the wedding coincided with Spring Break. Unfortunately, the wedding was in New York City since Misato worked in the NERV branch in NYC. It could have been worse if his parents didn't provide tickets for him and Asuka, but Gendo wanted to extend his gratitude to Asuka for taking care of his, in his words, idiotic son. It was more like Shinji was taking care of Asuka. All the cooking, laundry, and cleaning was done by Shinji, not that he minded, but it would've been nice if Asuka picked up a broom every now and then. He was her boyfriend, not her damn slave.

"Hey, where's the wedding? You never told me" Asuka asked as Shinji placed the breakfast in front of her.  
"New York City" Shinji answered her as he sipped his miso soup. He looked up to Asuka, expecting her to be angry or upset, but rather she was glistening. It was like the amount of awesome of this trip suddenly exploded in her mind and she went blank. She smiled brightly at the young man.

"Oh my god. Oh my god." Asuka yelped, giddier than Shinji had ever seen her. He returned her smile, albeit with less enthusiasm. Shinji had already been to NYC before, but with his parents so he didn't really get the chance to explore. But, NYC was both his type of town and at the same time, NYC wasn't. A lot of people have a huge misconception about New York City. People automatically assume that New Yorkers are assholes because they don't care about tourists and they're "self-absorbed", but rather New Yorkers view tourists as the ones who are self-absorbed. Tourists expect the city to bend to them, and in many regards, Shinji loves this aspect of NYC. It is unmoving in its principles, and people who oust the status-quo are automatically disregarded. But Shinji hated the sheer amount of people in the city. Rush hour is fucking hell, literal hell. As much as Shinji was excited to go to Misato's wedding and have his first trip with Asuka, he was reluctant to deal with the sheer amount of people.

"Yeah, have you ever been there?" Shinji asked, as he picked at his piece of grilled salmon. He was definitely going to miss grilled salmon for breakfast when he went to NYC. He hated the shitty plain bagels with their whipped butter.

"Not that I remember. I think my step-sister went though, to visit her mother." Asuka replied, thoughtlessly as she ate her breakfast.

"You have a stepsister?" Shinji asked, Asuka's previous statement having piqued his interest.

"Yeah, I met her when my mom remarried. She's a year younger than us" Asuka replied, once again her thoughts enticed with food rather than Shinji. To be honest, Shinji didn't know that much about Asuka's past nor did he want to dig any further than she was willing to divulge. He wouldn't want Asuka to dig into his past either, no matter how unsavory or comedic it was.

"How about you?" his girlfriend asked.

"I have an adopted sister." Shinji responded, quickly and uncharacteristically.

"That's it?"

"That's all I'm willing to say."

"Okay," Asuka accepted. She wanted to dig deeper, but if he did have an adopted sister, than she would probably meet her at the wedding. But still, Asuka couldn't help but wonder what Shinji's sister was like. As Asuka finished her food, she noticed Shinji wince as he rotated his arm. The silly guy had started to work out along with Toji. Shinji was stronger than Asuka had thought, which surprised her. Underneath his relatively lanky exterior, he was pretty muscular.

"Anyways, can you go wash the dishes, I wanna take a shower before class" Shinji stated, hoping that a warm shower would ease his aching back muscles. He did not know how painful doing deadlifts or rows were. The act of doing it wasn't painful, it was just the day after that hurt like a bitch. But like many things in this world, if Shinji really wanted to get bigger, he would have to work hard.  
"Sure, just hurry up. We have class in an hour, and then we still have to pack and stuff" Asuka replied, as she cleared the table. Behind her, she heard Shinji close the bathroom door. As Asuka washed the dishes, she felt a sense of longing. She wanted to sleep in Shinji's arm a tad longer, a tad longer than she was willing to admit. In her mind, she rationalized it as: she was cold, he was warm. Despite the numerous fallacies associated with that rationalization, she didn't want to admit anything else. As she finished, she walked by the bathroom, only to heard Shinji groaning and complaining about his muscle pains. Snickering lightly, she entered her room to change.

As Asuka changed, she noticed that her bed looked practically untouched. After an initial response of embarrassment, she felt a tinge of happiness. Though she'd never tell Shinji, she loved sleeping next to him. It was warm, it was cozy, and she loved the way he kissed her goodnight and kissed her good morning. As Asuka scanned her wardrobe in her underwear, she noticed that she didn't have a nice dress for the wedding. Well, she did, but she didn't like them anymore. Maybe after class, she and Shinji could go shopping.

Shinji knocked on Asuka's door. Shinji chose to go with light spring colors for today. Just a light pink button-up, his pair of khaki pants and a light blue jacket. Shinji needed to go get his suit, which he had altered a couple days ago. But now, he had to match with Asuka. Deep in thought, he didn't even notice Asuka open her door. He, however, did notice when a pair of smooth lips touched his cheeks before shoving him out of the way. Shinji looked over at his girlfriend who was wearing a simple pink blouse and a pair of leggings. Jesus, all Shinji could do was stare at her ass as she walked past. Shaking his head, he got up and followed suit.

* * *

"Hey, Shinji. What are you doing for Spring Break?" Toji asked, as Shinji was focusing on their calc lecture. Needless to say, Shinji was absolutely absorbed into the calculus at hand. It wasn't easy by any means, but for some reason, he was doing fine. It must have been his explaining to Toji that allowed him to get a greater grasp on the material.

"I'm going to a wedding in New York with Asuk-" Shinji said, without thinking before he caught himself, "fuck." He looked over at his new friend and Toji was gasping for air. Shinji hadn't made his relationship with Asuka public yet, partially because Toji was vehemently against Asuka and Hikari was going to go absolutely apeshit once she found out. But it was only a matter of time, all that time spent easing it in meant nothing.  
"Bro, are you serious? What is she, your girlfriend?" Toji whispered, but visibly stressed. Shinji just nodded slowly before returning to his work. No wonder Toji was so bad at calculus, he didn't pay attention at all. The more surprising is that Jamal or Takashi, Shinji's old roomie, was above and beyond the best calculus student. Even Shinji had to text Jamal questions about Calculus and Shinji was in the top 5 percentile of the class.

"We'll talk after class. Shit man, there's a test after spring break." Shinji hissed at his dumbfounded friend. 30 minutes before class officially ended, but those 30 minutes seemed like 30 days. He really wanted to go get lunch with Asuka, not sit in class being questioned by a delirious Toji. Shinji re-focused on the professor as he discussed limits and taking derivatives and nonsense like that. Stuff that Shinji would probably never use in the real life. With a heave of frustration, Shinji reluctantly copied down the notes on the powerpoint. On the last test, he got a whooping 93 points, which he was happy with, but not proud of. At least, he scored higher than Asuka, Hikari, and Toji in Biology. But Asuka only trailed behind him by 5 points, his 94 to her 89.

Asuka made studying fun for Shinji. She anchored his mind from having contrived thoughts or straying too far from the topic. Often times, she'd defer to Shinji for help which in turned allow Shinji to re-teach himself. Shinji was snapped out of his trance when he felt his phone vibrate. He took out his phone and saw that he got a snapchat from Asuka. He opened it and it was a picture of her sleeping. Shinji smiled slightly at the caption "Bae caught me slippin'". As soon as the timer ended, he got another snapchat from Asuka, but this time, it was a picture of Hikari, trying her best to look devious.

"Why is my girl snapchatting you?" Toji asked softly when he peered over as Shinji chuckled.

"Nah, she just got a hold of Asuka's phone when she was sleeping." Shinji explained before returning his phone to his pocket. Shinji returned to his work. After finishing the professor's set of practice problems, he peered over at the clock. 11:58am. 2 minutes. Shinji silently thanked his lucky stars as he packed up his bag.

"Hey, so what're you gonna do now?" Toji said as he and Shinji vacated the lecture hall.

"Probably get lunch with Asuka. How about you?" Shinji replied.

"I have class in like 15 minutes! I can't wait to see Hikari" Toji exclaimed, in desperation . Shinji had made several mental notes on the weird relationship dynamic between Hikari and Toji. Hikari was actually very hardworking, actively trying to better herself academically. Toji was similar in that regard except for Track. Shinji had never seen someone so dedicated and so focused. Toji was freaking fast. There was no way around it, he was one fast motherfucker, pardon my french. Moreover, he looked effortless in his speed. Ironically, Hikari was a lot more active than Toji. She always dragged Shinji and Asuka along with her plans for dinner or studying whereas Toji would've rather just loitered in the school square, sitting in the grass.

Shinji waited for Asuka in the library. Toji had left for his class already and Asuka was finishing class right about now anyways. To the unassuming eye, Shinji was a diligent student who was intent on reviewing his calculus notes that looked like alien script because fuck you calculus. But really, Shinji was mentally fortifying himself for the crazy trip next week. Having Asuka meet his parents for real, having her meet Rei, staying in NYC for a while. It was going to be a hectic vacation for sure and Shinji had to take as much time as he could to fortify his defenses for the ensuing chaos. Shinji was prepared for the worst, that and he had purchased protection last night. As Jamal would say, nigga was jiving.

"Hey, Shinji!" a voice called from behind Shinji. He looked over and saw his old friend, Kensuke. He knew Kensuke from High school, one of the few friends that he made and someone who liked playing basketball as much as Shinji did. Shinji got up and walked over to give his old friend a hug. Kensuke was 2-3 inches shorter than Shinji, but a bit wider too. His spectacles sat on his nose, periodically being pushed up.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went to the states!" Shinji asked, excited to see his friend for the first time in a while. Kensuke was the smartest guy that Shinji knew. He was many things: a great debater, a military expert, and someone who would beat you at chess and risk effortlessly. Connect 4, not so much, Shinji always on at Connect 4.

"I'm just here visiting my family for Spring Break! I think you remember my sister going to Tokyo University." Kensuke replied, with the same amount of enthusiasm. Kensuke's family was filled with intelligent and bespectacled individuals. His sister was actively pursuing a career in law whereas Kensuke wanted to be a politician, but his main goal was to be a general. Kensuke, often times, was compared to Caesar, and not the salad.

"That's awesome. Well, I gotta go, sorry buddy! I got a date with my girlfriend" Shinji said as he spotted Asuka entering the library. He waved her over, which caught Kensuke's attention. Kensuke had to admit, this girl was incredibly beautiful. Flowing red hair, a regal posture, and he automatically assumed, correctly, she was haughty.

"It's cool, bro. I'll talk to you another time. Have fun!" Kensuke replied, before playfully shoving Shinji over to Asuka.

"Who was that?" Asuka asked as the two exited the building, hand in hand.

"A friend from high school. What do you wanna eat?" Shinji replied, giving her hand a slight squeeze which he knew Asuka loved.

"Let's get some sushi, I haven't had that in a while." Asuka answered, after a couple minutes of thought.

"Your wish is my command, Princess" Shinji joked as the two exited campus. He leaned over and gave his girlfriend a kiss which she reciprocated. Asuka, unknowingly, has never initiated a kiss, but she loved receiving em.

* * *

"So what dress are you gonna wear?" Shinji asked as the two walked away from the tailor. The guy said he needed an hour for a more pressing issue. Luckily, the shopping district in Tokyo wasn't too packed on a Thursday so the two had a chance to take things slowly.

"I don't know yet. Since you have a navy suit, I might go with a white dress." Asuka said, contemplating on what she should wear to match the 5'10" gentleman. Shinji pictured his Asuka in a white dress, and quite honestly, it aroused him. Even if Asuka were blind, she couldn't have missed the red blush on Shinji's face.

"Oh, god. I'm going to make it goooood" Asuka said, emphasizing good. Shinji smiled back at the devious looking girl, hoping for the best. Shinji always delivered in terms of style, he was hoping that his girlfriend would be able to co-exist with him. Asuka proceeded to quickly walk into a nearby clothing store. Shinji relented and followed suit. The store had both men and women's sections. Shinji motioned to Asuka, who was talking to a salesperson, that he was going to go check out the men's section.

Whilst browsing the men's section, Shinji noted that there wasn't that suited his taste. But he did see a nice navy knitwear tie that he wanted to buy, but that was if it suited Asuka's dress. Shinji felt his phone vibrate, and he saw that it was a text from Asuka. It told him to go to the fitting room.

"So what do you think?" Asuka asked the flabbergasted young man. Asuka was garbed in a white dress. The top of the dress was lacy, but it didn't show much skin. The lace ended around the collarbone area, and the dress was adorned with a nice, thick navy sash. The dress went down to just above the knees. It wasn't too flashy or sexy, but it was perfect. It showed off Asuka perfectly without showing off too much skin or leg.

"Uh, shit. I don't know…"Shinji began, to Asuka's worry, "remember how...speak" Words formed, but Shinji's brain boycotted sentences for that 10 second duration. Asuka was delighted to have finally silenced her boyfriend, who seemed to have a witty remark to everyone except his parents. She turned around to give herself another inspection before returning to the dressing room to change out of it. Often times, she would have to look for hours before finding an appropriate dress. She walked out to see a dumbfounded Shinji who was still staring at the door, still trying to formulate words and maintain his mental composure.

"Get back inside…" Shinji whispered softly before egging the girl back in.

"Why? Get off me!" Asuka whispered, irritated at the roughness the young man displayed. But before she could say anything, she was silenced by his pair of lips. Instead of Shinji's usual loving, soft kisses, this was aggressive and passionate. Asuka, instead of fighting it, chose to embrace the young man as the two explored each other's mouths in a dressing room. Asuka sucked lightly on Shinji's lower lip, before yelping slightly as she felt a pair of foreign hands touch her ass.

"We have to get outta here" Asuka said, out of breath, her face really red. Shinji nodded before kissing her neck gently. What had come over the young man? His hormones had just flown over the charts, and in a testosterone filled rage, he made out with his new girlfriend in a fitting room, only to leave the room with blue balls. Shinji waited for Asuka to exit before he did, to avoid arousing suspicion. Past the door, Shinji vaguely heard Asuka talking to the sales rep about the dress and what not.

"I'll pay for the dress" Shinji stated as he found Asuka, a few minutes after he left the dressing room. Outwardly, Shinji looked rather calm and collected, but that facade covered the crazed, hormonal teen that Shinji actually was. This was the first true bout of lust and desire that Shinji had displayed since he, well, since he was born. Even at parties, Shinji never put forth that much. Rather, he'd allow the girls to aggress on him.

"Nah, it's okay. Why?" Asuka responded, still visibly flustered at the steamy encounter between the two in the dressing room. Furthermore, Asuka liked it. She liked the ferocity that Shinji displayed when she walked out in that white dress. She liked how much he wanted her. Now, she wanted him, but she couldn't show it.

"I'm your boyfriend. That's why." Shinji said before snatching the white dress out of Asuka's hands. She conceded defeat and returned to looking for clothing. Shinji checked his phone for a text from the tailor, and what have you, the guy texted him "It's ready". Shinji nudged Asuka to go, before heading to the cashier to pay for both his tie and her dress. Asuka followed, happiness written across her face as she saw her boyfriend buy her that dress. It was around 80 bucks, USD, anyways.

"Let's go get my suit, princess" Shinji said as he offered his hand when they left the store.

"Hey Shinji, you wanna make out?" Asuka asked, as the two began packing their bags for the trip.

"Uh, yeah sure" Shinji replied. Asuka crawled over to the young man, and smiled. She couldn't wait to go to NYC with her boyfriend. It was gonna be fun.


	9. Chapter 9: NYC is Awesome

I Do Not Own Nge and all that Jazz

Author's Notes: Regarding Kensuke, I don't really like him. Okay, not that I dislike him, rather I don't think he's a good overall character. The only reason why I actually use Toji is because he has a relationship with Hikari which gives him some substance. Kensuke's character helps ground Shinji's character, but meh, not too important in my eyes.

Regarding Chapters Length, due to classes and midterms and shit, it's hard to keep a consistent long chapter list. Moreover, I run outta ideas and juice. I'll try to shoot for 8k words now, but releases will take longer, bear with me.

I'm Also changing Asuka's dress to Pink as opposed to White. I didn't know the rule.

Chapter 9:

It was a warm, sunny day. Although it was not summer weather by any means, it was still a nice spring day. Unfortunately, Shinji and his new girlfriend could not enjoy it due to their 24 hour plane ride from Tokyo Airport to Laguardia. Even worse was the fact that the plane ride was at 8am on a Saturday morning during the beginning of Spring Break. Despite the overcrowded fire hazard in the waiting lobby of the airport, Shinji and Asuka made it safely to their designated terminal. Relief written across their face, the pair made it to a relatively uncrowded terminal.

"Goddamn, luckily your dad bought us nice, expensive plane tickets" Asuka raved as she gleamed at the plethora of available seats in the terminal. Before she could proceed to an empty seat, Shinji yanked her away from the terminal.

"I'm starving, princess. Let's get a bite to eat first, we got like 45 minutes" Shinji said, tugging at the reluctant and sleepy redhead. Shinji looked at his girlfriend who seemed like deadweight. The young man had come to learn that the redhead was not a morning person, hell, she wasn't even a noon person. Shinji pointed at a nearby starbucks, which Shinji, admittedly, hated. But it was sustenance, and for a 24 hour flight, he was going to need as much as he could get.

"Shinjiiiiii, stop ittttt." Asuka slurred, her voice impeded by her overbearing exhaustion. In hindsight, she probably should not have stayed up watching How I Met Your Mother to enforce a New-Yorker mentality in herself. Shinji had done the smart thing and gone to bed at 10pm, after studying calculus a bit after dinner. What Asuka didn't know is that Shinji couldn't sleep until he felt Asuka in bed with him. Shinji wasn't comfortable with not having her soft body against his, especially at night when he felt cold.

"Asuka, I swear to god…" Shinji grumbled, himself also tired from an early morning and a late night.

"But you have to pay for me" Asuka whined.

"I always pay for you" Shinji countered, before Asuka relented and followed the young man. Her arms quickly snaked themselves around Shinji's left arm before securely clamping herself on, like a koala to a tree...minus the legs. Shinji felt Asuka's breasts against his arms, despite their thick sweaters. A rush of blood hit Shinji in the face, which would have confused Asuka had she only known Shinji a short while, but as of now, she could sense Shinji's embarrassment and arousal. He teased her, he teased her a lot. Not in any sexual way, but his way with words and the way he kisses are all teasing. Never going too far nor satisfying enough, and he always left Asuka confused and wanting more. Asuka knew that it wasn't in spite, but it didn't mean it was going to be one-sided.

"I want the green tea chai latte!" Asuka said with a false cheerfulness while lighting rubbing her body against Shinji. She looked up, with bewilderment in her eyes, at the young man who clearly saw through her ploy. He rolled his eyes as the two made their way to the cashier who was painfully aware of the couple's affection for each other. The young man made a mental note that Asuka had an unfair advantage in their teasing matches. Two...bountiful advantages whereas Shinji had a singular one that was niche. He couldn't whip it out in public, Shinji was many things, but he was not going to be that type of criminal. Those niggas get shanked in jail.

"Hey, good morning." Shinji greeted the cashier, who looked like she was having hell for breakfast. Shinji could only imagine what it was like to work in such a hellish place this early in the morning. It was probably pretty crappy.

"Hello, what would you like?" the cashier returned, with a depressed tone.

"A Green Tea Chai Latte, a large coffee, and a cream cheese sesame bagel" Shinji ordered. Quite frankly, Shinji didn't like starbucks coffee. It didn't taste good. Their lattes were always too sweet, even without sugar. But, anything tasted good when he ate with Asuka. An unknown part of cuisine and fine dining is that atmosphere improves the quality of food. Not just any atmosphere though, good food needs a soft, intimate, and condensed atmosphere to improve the flavor of food. Well, maybe it doesn't really, it's never been proven, but Shinji thought it was for sure. Everything tasted a tad blander before he met Asuka.

"Is that all?" the cashier replied abruptly. Asuka scoffed at the cashier's rude mannerisms which both Shinji and the cashier blew off. Shinji could empathize with the young woman. His father had subjected Shinji to such torture when Shinji was a teenager. He made Shinji work with him at NERV during some of his summers. According to Gendo, it was was suppose to instill a sense of work ethic that was "absent" from today's youth.

"Yeah, thanks" Shinji said before flashing the female a soft smile, hoping to brighten up her day. It didn't. The young cashier, who looked slightly older than Asuka, flashed a sarcastic smile back at Shinji before it vanished in the scowl that Shinji had identified as her trademark. Glancing over, Shinji noticed that his girlfriend's eyes were droopy, obvious indications of her sleepiness. He smiled softly at the young girl, before lightly brushing a couple strands of hair from her face.

"Here you go, lover boy" the cashier said flatly with a hint of sarcasm to Shinji, handing him the tray of coffees and a bagel, thoughtfully cut in half. Shinji looked up and nodded once in gratitude, having to say no words to express himself. The cashier looked at Shinji's back as the couple walked away to their seats, haphazardly lugging their carry-on behind them, the redhead offering no words. She felt jealous, not of Asuka, but that they had somebody to be with. 6 billion people in this world, and somehow, you just don't meet someone compatible. Cupid can be a bitch, can't he.

"Asuka, here's your latte" Shinji said, handing the sleepy princess her lattes after the two had found their seats. At this rate, Shinji never wanted to have kids if this was a simulation for what it's like. A light chuckle emanated from Shinji's throat as he watched Asuka thoughtlessly burn her mouth from sipping the hot drink, provoking Asuka to lightly punch him before fanning her mouth. Shinji leaned over quietly and kissed her tongue. A soft, loving kiss that Shinji always gave to Asuka, comforting her and even lulling her into a state of complete relaxation.

"There, I kiss the boo-boo" Shinji joked as he gave her another quick peck, eliciting a quick reddening from Asuka. She loved and hated Shinji's kisses. She hated how much she loved them, despite the cliche associated with that phrase. It was so soft, and caring, almost as if Shinji was preserving Asuka, like his precious china. He rarely ever got rough with her, definitely not in public. Asuka saw the reckless abandon in his eyes when she egged him on, but Shinji never overstepped his boundaries, always careful to break her.

"I wanna take a nap" Asuka yawned before placing her cup on the tray and cuddling into Shinji. Shinji smiled at her sleeping figure, before gently placing his arm over her. He returned to eating his bagel with cream cheese, noting that it wasn't bad by any means, just unusual. Cream cheese had a sour taste to it, creamy and sour. At least the crunchiness of the bagel with the sesames helped offset the somewhat unpleasant taste. The taste of black coffee helped balance out the flavors.

Shinji glanced at his watch. It was 7:35, 10 minutes till boarding. It was 5:35 pm in NYC, by Shinji's calculations. In roughly 24 hours, Shinji would step onto a whole new continent with a new array of people. With his girlfriend. But, despite these new life circumstances, he wasn't mobbed with emotion or self-doubt. Rather, he was grateful and appreciative that he was given this opportunity to experience a happiness that not everyone has. Shinji realized that anyone who had this chance would appreciate it and people who don't have this chance would scorn and envy those who do.

He looked down at Asuka, and it was apparent how she was literally his princess. To love somebody isn't to need them in order to live, rather to love someone is being able to live without them, but living without them would be crap. Despite that slight trickle of drool that had found it's home on Shinji's sweater, Asuka looked absolutely adorable. He softly got his cellphone out of his right pocket, careful not to awake the young woman attached to his hip.

I'm getting on the plane soon. Cya in NYC soon. He sent the text to his parents and Misato. Misato, his babysitter, was getting married. Shinji found it especially hard to swallow since she was just so...youthful and carefree during her tenure with the Ikari's. However, after graduating from UCLA and getting her masters from Harvard, she quickly paved her way through NERV's New York headquarters. His father, Gendo, saw potential in the young woman and invested in her future, making sure that she worked at NERV to improve the health and living conditions for those afflicted with neurological diseases. It was quite something, honestly. At 29, she was assistant director to Naoko Akagi, the lead director in brain cancer. Her wedding was a big deal to NERV, and everything was sponsored for their favorite young neurologist.

"Boarding Flight 209 to NYC. Please Proceed to Terminal 3" the loudspeaker roared, catching Shinji's attention and awakening the sleeping redhead. Shinji carefully grabbed the carry-on before motioning for Asuka to get the drinks and his half finished bagel, which she did with laziness impeding her movements. Shinji approached the desk and handed the stewardess the two first-class tickets. Apparently, NERV also put up the two seeing as Shinji was going to be a valuable resource in the future.

"Yes, thank you. Proceed through the ramp and the attendants will get you to your seats" the stewardess said before attending to the next passenger. Shinji nodded at the following attendant before proceeding up the spacious ramp onto their plane. It was Japan First Class flights, which were pretty expensive. Especially for the 1st class seating that Shinji and Asuka had received from NERV. Gendo, technically, gifted it to them, but really he used some of his weight at NERV to secure them.

"Yes, please proceed to the front of the plane for first class. Thank you" the attendant in the plane said, smiling courteously at the two. Shinji and Asuka awkwardly shuffled through the aisle, hoping to cause as little hassle as possible. The young man was especially worried about his counterpart, despite her beauty and perceived grace, she was incredibly clumsy. Shinji could not count the number of times she dropped weights at the gym, broke bowls at home, and even hit Shinji in the balls midfall.

"Wow, these are some expensive seats" Asuka said as she marveled at the first class seats. Each had their own little cubicle with a little retractable desk, chairs that could extend into beds, it was incredible. Shinji smiled as the young woman gawked at their seats, 2 and 3. The epitome of comfort and it was a couple's seat which was even better. Gendo knew what Shinji liked, a smug smile spread across Shinji's face as this thought came to mind.

"Well, we'll have to talk my old man. He hooked us up for Misato's wedding" Shinji replied as he put their carry-on into the rack on top, making sure to talk out his and Asuka's laptop first. He handed Asuka her macbook pro, distinguished by a lovely red strawberry. This was merely a ploy employed by the cunning Asuka to give off her patented cute-girl vibe, but Shinji knew that the young redhead would prefer a nice, juicy porterhouse. Speaking of which, his parents and Misato had made reservations tomorrow night at Capital Grille.

"We'll have to thank him." Asuka said, while placing her laptop on the little retractable table. It was something like a lecture hall desk that was normally stationed at the side of the chair. The first class were obviously nicer than the 100 year old lecture halls. Shinji plopped down in his seat, almost sinking into the chair completely. The softness was uncomparable, something that Shinji would not take for granted on the ~24 hour flight.

"Anyways, we have a busy day tomorrow. We have dinner reservations with Misato and my parents, if you wanna go. I'm always willing to just hang out with you" Shinji explained, placing his hand over Asuka's, "I'd actually prefer it rather than pandering to them"

"Let's go! I wanna meet Misato anyways," Asuka replied, causing Shinji to smile slightly, "What's she like?" That was an unexpectedly loaded question for Shinji. He had to slowly ease Asuka into meeting Misato because Misato wasn't exactly someone you can take a huge dose of all at once.

"Well, Misato was my babysitter and she taught me how to play basketball ball and how to cook and how to do homework and stuff." Shinji began, which Asuka responded with an understand, if not bored nod.

"Misato is fucking crazy. Not gonna lie, she's very endearing once you get to know her. Otherwise, she is overbearing and snappy. She's gonna be blunt and she's gonna baby you which makes no sense, but trust me, she does it. She's also incredibly intelligent, so don't try and joust with her." Shinji bluntly continued, hoping that he painted Misato in a sort of tepid light. Not too warm, nor too cold. In many ways, she was sort of like Asuka. Misato always came off as detached in a lot of ways, aloof in her responsibilities, a lot like Asuka. Shinji feared that the similarities would prove to become a discord between the two clashing alpha-female personalities.

"Sounds fun. I can't wait to meet your precious babysitter" Asuka chimed jokingly before resting her head on Shinji's right shoulder, her back to the window. A long warmth spread around Asuka's back, encircling her, clenching her. It was secure, and harder now that Shinji had started working out more intensely. Even more now, Asuka found herself more physically attracted to the sprouting young man, who seems to have grown an inch after working out. In comparison now, the 5'6" girl looked even smaller compared to her boyfriend, which she kind of liked.

"Meh, I don't mind either way. I just don't wanna entertain my parents and Misato and Kaji. Too many people, too much noise. I'd much prefer walking around the city with my girlfriend" Shinji said softly, but making sure Asuka heard him call her his girlfriend. She always had this cute blush on her face which enthralled Shinji and would never fail to make him feel so jolly inside. Without fail, Asuka had a slight blush spread across her face, before snuggling into Shinji's arm to avoid seeing that soft smile.

"But it's a steakhouse and I know how much you love steak" Shinji continued, hoping to cheer her up a bit or at least ease her embarrassment. Asuka looked up at the young man, hope in her eyes and in her stomach.

"Passengers please fasten your seatbelts, we are preparing to take-off" the announcer proclaimed over the loudspeaker, making the reluctant couple separate to fasten their seatbelts. The pitter patter of the stewardess's high heels gave Shinji a sense of comfortability, as they secured the passenger's seat belt like at an amusement park. Speaking of which, he had to take Asuka one of these days. Shinji looked over at his girlfriend, who was looking unsettled.

"Don't worry, princess." Shinji said soothingly to his girlfriend while placing his hand over hers. He smiled at her, hoping to reassure his girlfriend. To Shinji's surprise, Asuka looked fairly ecstatic. Shinji winced as Asuka lightly chopped his head with a playful pout on her face.

"I'm not worried, idiot! If you're so worried, hug yourself" the grumpy girl laughed.

"Okay, whatever you say. I guess...I won't hold your hand" Shinji taunted, slowly withdrawing his right hand off her left hand. Asuka turned away, pouting and looked outside to the runway. The plane had began it's run and was slowly picking up speed. The slight vibration of the plane always made Shinji a tad uncomfortable, always reminding him of a car on a bumpy road. Luckily the take-off was smooth, akin to when you ascend the first huge ramp of a rollercoaster. For Shinji, it was especially unsettling due to his light acrophobia, like a knot in his stomach. Shinji closed his eyes, in an attempt to ease the fear and release some of the tension, to no avail. But, the knot dissipated when he felt a warm and soft sensation place itself on top of Shinji's right clenched fist.

"If you're scared, tell me, you idiot" Asuka said, Shinji's eyes still closed, a drop of cold sweat falling from his brow. Breathe in, breathe out. Something Yui told Shinji every time they took a plane.

"Shinji, look" Asuka told Shinji, before herself looking out the window. Shinji peeked out of his right eye, and saw a mass of white. Like a plain canvas. But soon enough, a sea of blue shined through as the plane erupted from the mass of cloud and the sun shined bright into the plane encasing the two in an almost angelic light. This light only accentuated Asuka's beauty as Shinji studied his girlfriend's face, full of amazement and hope.

Asuka turned around, hoping to catch Shinji's "omg" expression, but she was met with her boyfriend's eyes in hers. Asuka never really noticed Shinji's eyes until now. His eyes were a pool of brown, but not in a bad way. His gaze was usually more focused, as if peering through her, but right now they were soft as he studied her face.

"What are you looking at, princess?" Shinji said, softly taunting Asuka, breaking her out of her studious trance. Unexpectedly, Asuka leaned forward and gave Shinji a soft peck on the lips causing Shinji to smile back at her.

"We can't do this here, princess. TPO, remember" Shinji teased, before lightly poking Asuka's abdomen causing her to softly giggle.

"You may now remove your seatbelts and resume utilizing your electronics. Thank you for your patience" The stewardess announced over the loudspeaker. Shinji opened his macbook pro, hoping to get some studying in. Luckily, the airplane ticket included wifi or else, Shinji would have been bummed. He glanced over at Asuka, who had already curled up, next to him and had fallen asleep. He opened up the calculus slides that he had downloaded, and started glancing through it. Nonchalantly grabbing a cup in the cupholder, Shinji took a sip while being absorbed into the world of calculus and all that jazz. A instant wave of disgust rendered across Shinji's face as the taste of green tea chai latte manifested itself in Shinji's mouth.

"Oh, jesus. That's fucking nasty, how does she drink it?" Shinji complained to himself as he set down her cup and got the bagel situated in front of him. He took a big bite, hopeful that the strong taste of cream cheese would coat the taste of green tea chai lattes. It helped, but wasn't entirely effective much to Shinji's chagrin. He returned his attention back to learning about logarithmic differentiation as he tried to absorb it into his mind. It was a slow process, most likely due to Shinji's own apathy towards the topic, but he did have 24 hours to read and learn and make this knowledge HIS. A chortle came from Shinji's throat as he contemplated his internal melodramatic dialogue.

"Hello, sir. It is currently 9:30 Am, would you like anything to eat?" the stewardess asked, breaking Shinji out of his scholarly trance. Shinji rubbed the bridge of his nose and recollected his thoughts. He looked back at the patient and lovely stewardess and smiled.

"You guys have lattes?" Shinji inquired.

"We do, sir. Do you have a specific blend that you would like?" The stewardess responded, producing a menu for the young man. On it were an array of breakfast items, nothing of which suited Shinji's tastes, but he was quite famished. A bagel only gets you so far, calorie-wise.

"A colombian blend, 2% milk. I'll also have a B set with bacon. Only egg whites please" Shinji ordered after lightly skimming the menu.

"Very well, anything for the missus?" The stewardess asked, looking at the sleeping woman to Shinji's right.

"An A set with german sausage links and over-easy eggs. Thanks" Shinji responded before handing the stewardess back her menu. He turned back to his laptop and refocused himself as he heard the clickity clackity of the stewardess's high heels. Shinji sighed as he realized that he had only achieved a 60% on the "mastery" test his professor had listed on his website. 60% wasn't good enough to enter medical school, especially not a United States's medical school which he and Asuka were planning to attend.

"So...mutipl...take deri…" Shinji mumbled as he wrote his computations, methodically carving his way to the correct answer. To Shinji's credit, he was quite fast at solving these problems, albeit not the most efficient at them. Biology and chemistry were more up his alley, Asuka was way better at them than he was.

"That's wrong, you fucking idiot" Asuka scowled, after having been awoken by Shinji's incessant mumbling. It didn't bother her as much when the two were studying. Shinji raised his eyebrows in curiosity and handed Asuka the pen and notebook. She quickly deduced where Shinji had made his error, and explained to Shinji why and how he made his mistake.

"Here you go. Your B set and latte" the stewardess said, from behind Shinji, surprising him a bit. He turned around to accept the meal and his drink. He moved his macbook into one of those netted slots in front of him and put his meal and drink on the table.

"Here is set A." the stewardess behind the 1st said, handing Asuka the tray of food. Shinji looked at his food, and was quite ambivalent towards it. The B set was just 2 eggs, bacon, and a slice of toast. Asuka's A set was a tad more extravagant with hash-browns, eggs, sausage, and toast.

"Why didn't you get Set A?" Asuka asked between bites of sausage and eggs. She had to admit, it wasn't terrible for plane food. The german sausage links weren't perfect like she had in Germany, but it wasn't terrible. The eggs were a little bit too well-done for her taste, but over-medium wasn't too bad.

"I didn't want the carbs." Shinji said between his own chomping of food. It was okay, Shinji could've done better, but it was passable to Shinji's palette. He sipped the latte, hoping that it was better than the food. To Shinji's delight, it was pretty good.

"How was it?" Shinji asked as he signalled for the stewardess to take their plates away.

"It was okay. Not bad" Asuka replied as she handed the stewardess her plate. Soon after, Asuka pulled out her own macbook pro to watch some How I Met Your Mother, a show she had really come to enjoy. But before that, she snuggled up to the working young man. He sipped his coffee as he tried to comprehend the content. He glanced at the time in the top right hand corner of his computer. Only 22 more hours.

* * *

"Finally!" Asuka exclaimed grumpily, as she and Shinji left the walkway into the terminal of LaGuardia. Shinji stretched his body, stiff after the tedious 24 hour plane ride. Shinji checked the time on the huge digital clock, seeing that it was roughly 3pm. Just enough time to go back to the hotel and take a shower.

"Oh, there's our chauffeur guy" Shinji said, pointing out the guy with the signs "Shinji & Asuka". Shinji grabbed their luggage and hauled it over to the guy with the sign. As Shinji approached the chauffeur, something about him seemed oddly familiar. First of all, the guy he thought was a chauffeur was actually female. Shinji walked closer to the woman, hoping to expect some of her features and hopefully ascertain her identity.

"Shinji, let's-" Asuka clamored before Shinji silenced her with a wave of his finger. Shinji had a feeling that he knew who it was, but he couldn't be certain. It was impossible, Shinji thought, she had to be at work or preparing for the wedding.

"Misa-" Shinji began, with a questioning tone before the Jane Doe ripped off her hat, letting loose her black hair, confirming who the woman was. But before Shinji could finish saying her name, he was greeted with a big hug much to his and Asuka's confusion. The scent emanating from her hair was nostalgic for the young man as he returned the hug of his old friend and babysitter.

"Oh, if it isn't the great Shinji" Misato piped up and gave the young man a kiss on his cheek. Time had been nice to Misato, Shinji noted. The workload should have etched a few more stress lines on her timeless face, but Misato had been spared.

"Hey, Misato. Long time no see" Shinji greeted, before turning to his significant other who was at a loss for words. To her, Misato was an imposing figure. Even beneath the chauffeur guise, due to Asuka's acute woman's perception, she quickly realized that Misato was a beautiful and vibrant woman. Curvy, pretty smile, and nice hair. To say the least, Asuka felt a little out of the limelight. She felt Shinji's reassuring hand reach for hers, which she gave a slight squeeze.

"Misato, this is my girlfriend, Asuka." Shinji introducing Misato, before turning to Asuka, "Asuka, this is Misato" Misato stuck out her hand warmly to which Asuka wearily accepted and shook her hand.

"Hello, Asuka. I've heard a lot about you" Misato said, a slight chuckle escaping her throat. She was taunting the young redhead, much to Shinji's chagrin.

"From whom?" Asuka countered swiftly and abruptly, careful not to reveal her temperary insecurity.

"Not anyone special," Misato responded playfully, before motioning at Shinji, "Anyways, we should get going. Kaji's outside waiting for us." Misato turned and walked ahead of the two, showing them the way. Shinji and Asuka took up a brisk pace in their trailing of Misato, navigating their way around the always busy Laguardia airport. The young man had a lot of questions to ask and a lot to catch up with both Kaji and Misato. Deep down, Shinji missed Misato and Kaji a lot. He was especially sad when they went off to college, but he would always get a small gift on christmas and Misato would always send a small batch of chocolates on valentine's day.

"So, how was the flight?" Misato asked the two tired teens while they waited outside for the real chauffeur to circle around to pick them up.

"Not too bad. 24 hours, though. Killer" Shinji replied, tired and exasperated. He wanted to lie down and cuddle a little. Most guys won't admit it, but they really enjoyed cuddling.

"Yeah, I just wanna lie down for a bit" Asuka said, continuing on Shinji's thought. Misato looked over at the two as they yawned, almost simultaneously. They were indeed a very cute and compatible couple, well appearance-wise. While Shinji's own self-esteem never allowed him to see himself for the attractive and intelligent young man that he is, Misato saw that her young "brother" had come into his own. Asuka was lithe and beautiful, her petite figure overshadowed by Shinji's unfinished domaining one. The young man reigned over Misato by a good four, maybe five inches.

"Well, we'll get you back to your hotel so you guys can have a good rest. Our reservation is at 7pm, so you have plenty of time to relax" Misato said cheerfully. Spotting Kaji's SUV, she signalled for him. A black Honda CR-V pulled up to them, before Kaji exited. He was smoking a butt, and looked especially ragged today. He was wearing a wrinkled button-down shirt, black jeans, and a pair of boots.

"Long shift, Kaji?" Shinji greeted as he passed off his luggage to the man. Asuka noticed how small Kaji looked in comparison to the sprouting young man, and moreover, how messy he looked. Kaji was sporting a short stubble and his bedhead was atrocious. Kaji reached for the suitcase in Asuka's hand, surprising her, but she passed it to the laboring man.

"Yeah, I just got off work like 2 hours ago before Misato decided to pull this prank!" Kaji complained, scratching his head as he packed the last of their luggage into the compact SUV. The couple had brought 2 suitcases with them and a duffel bag. It was a limited edition Herschel duffel bag that Kaji had purchased for Shinji when Kaji had heard from his fiancee that Shinji had been accepted into Tokyo University.

"Yeah, yeah! Get in the damn car, the lovebirds are tired!" Misato playfully complain as he got into the passenger seat of the SUV. Shinji and Asuka piled into the back of the spacious SUV, while Kaji resumed his position in the driver's seat. Shinji sighed with a breath of relief, grateful that Misato had not assumed the wheel. She was never good on the road, always a tad too...rambunctious, for lack of a better word.

"I didn't know I was that tired!" Kaji joked, earning himself a chuckle from Shinji. Misato, in return, laughed out loud, her voice abundant with sarcasm.

"So, tell me about yourself, Asuka" Misato commanded as the car left Laguardia airport, as it left the airport. Misato turned around expecting a response, but was met with two sleeping children, hand-in-hand. They weren't really children, but to Misato, Shinji was always going to be that child. The features of the once short, scrawny, and awkward 8 year old had all but disappeared into a tall, lean, and handsome 18 year old.

"He's big, isn't he?" Kaji said, nostalgic of the times where he, Shinji, Rei, and Misato would hang out, babysitting Shinji and Rei. Kaji always thought that Shinji was mature for his age, his upbringing invoked a sense of responsibility at a young age for the boy. Shinji was always protective of his adoptive sister, the same age as him. Rei's quiet and submissive demeanor lent her her fair share of abuse. At the same time, Shinji made sure he was always there to defend the young girl and cherish her.

"Yeah, I remember when I used to be so much taller than him. He's freaking taller than both of us now!" Misato exclaimed, a nostalgic smile spreading across her face. In her heart though, Shinji would remain that small child who would run to her about everything. While Shinji was an open book, Rei was quiet and calm. In some aspects, Misato really worried for the young girl. But once, Rei made it into NYU, Misato was happy to look after the young woman. She even secured the apartment next to hers for Rei.

"Man, I'm so sleepy. I had to finish that article for the NYT." Kaji complained, yawning but not taking his eye off the road. He felt a warm nudge to his right. He grabbed the warm cup of coffee that Misato had procured for him in the airport.

"Thanks, honey" Kaji said smiling. Beneath his haggard appearance, Kaji was absolutely ecstatic to be marrying the love of his life tomorrow. Misato, to him, was a ray of sunshine in his tedious life. When he would come home, she would always be there, sitting on the couch, beer in hand, watching some nba or something stupid on television. She would welcome him home in their native tongue to which he would respond "I'm home". It was the most comforting thing in his day, when he would cuddle up next to his fiancee, give her a smooch on the cheek goodnight. Kaji hated going to sleep, his dreams never compared to his life with Misato.

"You ready for tomorrow, babe?" Misato asked, as the two watched cars come and go in the hustle and bustle of Flushing, Queens. Flushing was primarily a Chinese-Korean dominant community, but the food was pretty bomb, Misato noted.

"So, you're basically asking if I have cold feet?" Kaji retorted, not indicating his answer.

"Basically" Misato responded.

"Nah, not really. My feet are pretty warm. The socks you bought me are doing the trick." Kaji responded playfully. He looked over to Misato, loving how red her face got when she didn't get what she wanted.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'm not the one marrying you. You're marrying me, you got that!" Misato proclaimed, a tad too loud causing both Shinji and Asuka to stir, but not wake up. Kaji chuckled softly, before placing his right hand on Misato's lap.

"I love you, so yeah...I'm down for this." Kaji responded, feeling that Misato was fed up with his constant joking around. Misato shooed his hand off her thigh. In return, Kaji sighed and placed his hand back on the wheel.

* * *

"God, I'm still sleepy" Asuka complained as the two waltzed into their hotel room. It was at the 4 seasons and was quite lavish. The king sized bed looked especially appealing right now. Shinji glanced at the clock on the wall; it read 4:32. He set the alarm for 1 hour, perfect time for a short nap before the two had to change into appropriate attire for dinner. Capital Grille demanded a business casual attire, which Shinji and Asuka could easily do.

"Let's take a nap" Shinji said, crawling under the covers, his head motioning for Asuka to join him under the covers. A request which Asuka happily, but sleepily complied. She climbed into the warm refuge of the sheets and cuddled into Shinji, kissing him on the cheek before nestling herself on his broad chest. Shinji smiled into the redhead's hair before falling asleep. It had been exhausting and the two barely had alone time, something Shinji coveted throughout the day. Uninterrupted happiness, even for an hour.

* * *

An hour later, the alarm rang, waking both Shinji and Asuka up. Reluctant to compromise their warm and cozy position, the two remained in their position for an additional 15 minutes. They two kissed lightly under the covers, casually pecking at each other's soft lips. The fatigue disheartening the two from initiating anything more risque and passionate. Cradling each other, the kisses were like little energy pills, awakening the recipient, slowly enticing movement. Asuka cuddled closer to Shinji's chest, feeling his heart beat against her head. It was a soft thud-thud-thud, rhythmic and soothing, lulling Asuka further into her state of relaxation. Shinji lightly pressed his mouth to Asuka's scalp, her strawberry shampoo intoxicating the young man, violated his nasal cavities, reminding him of spring. It was rather refreshing after a long trip. Asuka felt a smile on the top of her head and returned one into Shinji's chest, hoping he felt it underneath his hoodie. The connection they felt was stronger than ever, even thousands of miles away from home.

"Come on, princess. We have to get ready" Shinji said, reluctant himself to get up to shower and change. Asuka giggled as she felt Shinji's slight stubble scratch her head, before getting up and out of the bed. She stretched a bit and headed to her red suitcase, fetching her undergarments. She pulled off her thick black sweater, revealing a clingy white undershirt beneath. Shinji's lips curled up as he admired his girlfriend's lithe figure.

"I'm gonna go first then," Asuka yawned before turning jokingly to Shinji, "care to join me?" Shinji smirked back at the taunting redhead, and raised his eyebrow.

"Can I?" Shinji replied, with a hinge of sarcasm on his voice.

"Nah, you can't see this yet" Asuka joked, playfully showcasing her body which Shinji marveled at. It was indeed very nice, something Shinji noted several times. He plopped back onto the bed as Asuka shut the door behind her. Shinji closed his eyes for a few more minutes, hoping to have the mental faculties needed to engage his parents, Misato, Kagi, and Rei. It was going to take a lot of brain power and emotional strength in order to talk to all of them without wanting to shoot himself. To Shinji, that in itself was more daunting than facing a 24 hour flight.

"It's all yours!" Asuka exclaimed, awakening Shinji from his light slumber. Shinji peered up and saw that Asuka was walking around in her undergarments, having yet put on her clothes. Asuka didn't have a huge bust, it was of moderate size. But they were perky and bouncy, which Shinji hadn't noticed until now. That slight jiggle was forever imprinted into Shinji's youthful and testosterone-fueled mind. But Shinji's favorite part of Asuka's beautiful body were her white, thin, mile-long legs that ended in just...just the best ass. It was hard to describe, but it wasn't huge. It wasn't small either, it was the definition of a bubble butt. Her wet red hair fell haphazardly on Asuka's white back was a new and arousing sight for the young man, as she had always took time to work on it. Shinji's eyes were larger than bowling balls at this point, relishing in his girlfriend's oversight while he had his chance.

Asuka looked over at the gawking Shinji, who looked like he was 14 again and just discovered the internet and lotion. Instinctively, she shielded her upper body with her arms and her face lit up like leaves in the fall. Comedically, she chucked her towel at Shinji's face, blinding him. Shinji's heart fell from like King Kong did at the end of King Kong, effectively shattering Shinji's teenage-self. He stripped the towel off his head and lazily rolled out of bed, took one last long peek at his girlfriend, and took off his sweater and shirt. He gave Asuka a teasing wink before walking to his suitcase, conveniently placed her's to retrieve his boxers. He took a glance at his girlfriend, who got caught peeking at him.

"Asuka, you better get dressed. We have dinner in like an hour!" Shinji said, softly moving a strand of stray hair from Asuka's face before placing a soft smooch on her red cheeks. This earned Shinji a playful shove from Asuka, who had not spoken yet. Shinji nodded, and walked off into the bathroom.

"You perv…" Asuka muttered, under her breath. She was taken back a bit by Shinji's gawking, but was slightly happy about it. The young man's aroused staring had a profound effect on her heart, it sped up rapidly as the young man took mental picture after mental picture. She quietly grumbled to herself as she took out some clothing to wear for the dinner reservation. She had packed a simple navy sleeveless dress that went down mid-thigh, adorned with a thin brown belt. It suited her figure well, but before that, she located a bathrobe and slipped it on. She sat in front of the desk and did some light make-up. Just a little mascara, Asuka admitted she didn't need much. But she felt like taking her hair in a new direction. She made a braid on the left side of her head, leaving a sort of asymmetrical hairstyle that she had never previously attempted before.

"God, that felt nice" Shinji moaned as he exited the bathroom, half-naked. A nice warm shower after a long day was refreshing and had rejuvenated the young man. Clad in only boxers, Shinji felt a slight breeze chill his warm body. He casually walked over to his suitcase as he watched Asuka braid her hair. She was focused and diligent, but ultimately, she succeeded in creating a simple, but elegant braid that brought a smile to Shinji's face. As usual, Shinji had packed his favorite light blue oxford button down, his cozy thick navy shawl cardigan, and his usual pair of black jeans.

"Hey, you can change here, princess!" Shinji told Asuka as she walked into the bathroom with her navy dress.

"Not with you staring at me!" Asuka exclaimed, exasperated at the young man. Shinji sighed, letting the redhead continue to the bathroom. It was roughly 6:15 right now and Shinji wanted to walk around NYC a bit, explore a little before dinner. As Shinji finished buttoning up his shawl cardigan, he turned around to see that Asuka was finished with the bathroom. Her beauty always took Shinji back, and it was effortless. It hugged her in all the appropriate places without being too showy and she topped it all off with a pair of black leggings. Shinji kept a straight face, it was hard, but he kept it.

"Now, you're not gonna say anything!" Asuka exclaimed, mad at the young man. It was then that she noticed the restraint that the young man was exhibiting.

"I'm trying not to stare too much. It's hard cuz you're so fucking beautiful right now" Shinji said, clenching his fist, restraining himself from attack his girlfriend's lips and neck, whose left was exposed and was deliciously white. He licked his dry lips, before finally getting a grasp on himself. Asuka laughed lightly before trotting over to her duffel bag to retrieve a pair of 4-inch high heels, which made her legs look even hotter. Shinji tugged at his collar, hoping to relieve some of the tension present in his body.

Shinji walked over silently, creeping up on the unassuming female, humming to herself. He forcefully grabbed her body and turned it around to face him, much to Asuka's surprise, and planted his lips on her's forcefully. At first, Asuka was a little taken back, but showed Shinji acceptance by lightly licking his tongue. Shinji smiled into the kiss before moving down to her neck and lightly kissing it, careful not to leave evidence of their passionate encounter. Asuka inevidently let out a slight gasp from her throat as Shinji gave her neck soft kisses, which Shinji took as a sign of encouragement before returning to kiss Asuka's soft open lips. Soft. Warm. Home. Shinji reluctantly withdrew his wet lips from hers and helped her steady herself.

"You could've messed up my hair, you jackass" Asuka said superficially annoyed after a couple minutes, which she needed to catch her breath and collect her scattered thoughts. Shinji smiled at the young woman, all dressed up and beautiful. He was already fully dressed, having slipped on his favorite pair of Clark Desert Boots. Asuka put on her heels before grabbing her small purse and exited the room with Shinji. Shinji quickly grabbed Asuka's hand as she walked by him. Once again, he spun her around and planted a light kiss on her mouth, ceasing her pout.

"Now, let's go grab some dinner!" Shinji proclaimed, walking hand-in-hand with his girlfriend.

"We still have time and Capital Grille is pretty close to here, from what your precious babysitter says." Asuka said, as the two proceeded to the lobby of their hotel, "Wanna walk around, take in the sights?"

"That was originally the plan, princess. Let's go check out Byrant park or something" Shinji said, as they walked into the lobby. As the two emerged on the street, they quickly learned what fast really was. NYC is a huge city, fast-paced, and unforgiving. Shinji and Asuka made their way onto the street, filled with diversity. NYC was a global melting pot which both intrigued Shinji and disheartened him. It was an attack on the senses, but in a couple minutes, the stylish couple had already adapted itself to the frantic pace of New York. The couple weaved around the slow tourist, while maintaining a good distance from other fast-paced New Yorkers. It was truly a sight to behold, the skyscrappers piercing into the skies, the lights that accompanied a steady stream of cars, the unrelenting sea of people.

"Wow, that was harsh" Shinji said, this time in English. Asuka noted that Shinji didn't have an accent in his speech. It was fluent and perfectly coherent. His voice, when speaking english, was slightly huskier and deeper than normal. Asuka surveyed the hustle and bustle of people from her vantage point in Byrant park. To its credit, the park offered a slight reprieve from the onslaught of people, albeit small, it was soothing. The park offered a sort of haven for people to recuperate before continuing their journey in NYC.

"I don't know, it's pretty cool," Asuka replied, leaning back into the cool seat, "What time is it?"

"6:45" Shinji replied, once again in English. Conversing in English was foreign to them, but at the same time, it was a refreshing change of pace. Shinji noticed that Asuka had a slight accent to her English, not japanese, but...german. Luckily, Shinji had gone to an elementary school with white teachers who spoke English without an accent, thus allowing Shinji to assimilate it into his system at a young age.

"Where is it again? A couple blocks down?" Asuka asked, looking rays of color beaming from above the skyscrappers as the sun set. It was a haze of midnight blue, orange, red, and streaks of bright yellow, something that cannot be replicated by humans, but reproduced daily by nature. To Asuka, it was a stunning display of nature and conveyed a sense of inferiority.

"Nah, let's just relax a couple minutes. It's pretty cool here" Shinji replied, watching the hordes of people prance on by. It was rhythmic, yet full of chaos. Soothing, yet invigorating. Shinji got up and offered his hand for Asuka to take, which she did without hesitation. The two exited the small park, and back into the streets of New York, seamlessly integrating themselves with the crowd.

"Hey, let's try and get into a New York medical school" Asuka said as the two walked into Capital Grille. Shinji was intrigued by the proposition, but was distracted by Misato and his parents. The group was entirely there: Misato, Kaji, Shinji's parents, and Rei. Rei was a petite girl, just as tall as Asuka, but her skin extremely pale, moreover she had short, dark blue hair. She was dressed in a more conservative manner in relation to Asuka, but nevertheless Rei exuded a nonchalance that she did not expect. She had a totally unaffected air about her as if the entire restaurant could blow up and she wouldn't be shaken.

"Hey, sis. Long time no see" Shinji said, letting go of Asuka's hand and walking over to hug his sister.

"Hello, big brother. I've missed you" Rei responded, closing her eyes and she rested her face momentarily on Shinji's shoulder. After two or three seconds, Shinji receded and stepped back to hold Asuka's hand. He guided her forward and smiled at Asuka, reassuring her.

"Hey, Rei. This is my girlfriend, Asuka" Shinji said, making Asuka's 3rd introduction of the day. Rei extended her hand, which Asuka meekly took.

"Pleased to make your company, Miss Asuka" Rei politely greeted after breaking off the handshake.

"More like Mrs. Shinji Ikari" Yui joked from the sideline, watching the awkward ordeal between Rei and Asuka. Shinji rapidly turned to his mom, embarrassment etched across his face. Rei chuckled softly at her adoptive mother's teasing,

"I swear to god, Mom." Shinji hissed, not exactly in the mood for his mother's taunting. Luckily, Gendo, like Shinji, hissed at his wife as well. The waiter motioned for the group to be seated. The large group weaved through the packed dining hall to their fairly large rectangular table. The decor was pretty old-school, but it created a upperclass feeling to it. Luckily, the group was far away from the bar, so the noise level was bearable and conversation flowed smoothly. Each person had ordered their own steaks and appetizers, except for Rei, who was vegetarian and order something vegetarian.

Asuka, surprisingly enough, found herself very involved in the conversation, unknown to her that Shinji seamlessly weaved her into each one. The conversation was mainly focused on the three youngins, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei. There was a lot of intellectual discussion about science, and future career choices as well as great medical schools to attend. Rei, on the other hand, just wanted to be a researcher like her adoptive parents, which lent to her own meekness. Once the food arrived, the group was starving, having been extremely busy the entire day. Misato and Kaji had a half-day of work, Shinji's parents were out attending to NERV-related issues, and Rei spent the day at the NYU.

"Holy shit, this steak is good!" Asuka exclaimed as she consumed a piece of medium-rare ribeye. It was perfectly cooked, extremely juicy, and was very intense. Shinji chuckled a little bit, enjoying the same order. But to be frank, Shinji was too tired to properly enjoy his food, let alone cut it. In hindsight, he should've slept more on the airplane ride, rather than studying.

"Yeah, it's pretty damn good, isn't it?" Yui commented as she ripped through her steak, revealing a decadent medium-rare sear. Gendo was silent in his consummation, but Yui caught all the light smiles Gendo made as he ate. Even under his beard, Yui saw right through to his smile. The night continued as usual, laughs were had, people were made fun of, and food came and went at a steady pace. Asuka noticed that Shinji and Rei often had their own side conversations, which usually ended in a slight chuckle from Rei and a smile for Shinji. Despite being adopted, Rei seemed to have a great relationship with her brother.

Like all things, dinner ended. Misato, Kaji, and Rei took the trains back to their apartment, Shinji's parents went back to their hotel room, leaving Shinji and Asuka to themselves. Walking hand-in-hand around the bright city amidst the darkness, the couple took in the night time scene that is New York. New York City was a bustling city through and through, creating an insomniac atmosphere. The lights overwhelmed Shinji, rejuvenating him as well as draining him.

"Let's go back to the hotel and sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow" Shinji suggested, hoping that Asuka shared his enthusiasm for sleep. Asuka sleepily nodded, trudging her feet across the pavement. It was still only 9 pm, but for the two, it felt like they had just finished a 12 hour study-a-thon. Heading back to the hotel was quite a feat, having to navigate through the masses of night-time goers. The nightlife of NYC lived up to the hype, drawing young and old to it.

Once back in the hotel room, Shinji immediately changed into his favorite tanktop and pajama pants and plopped down on the bed. Instead of falling asleep, he turned on the television, waiting for Asuka to finish up her routine. However, Shinji was unfocused on the television, rather his mind strayed to the plans for the next two days. It had come to light that Shinji had misunderstood when the wedding actually was. It was on Tuesday, in two days. But the guest should arrive on Monday since the venue was in Long Island. Luckily it was near the ocean, so Shinji was excited for the view and for the relaxing properties that a seaside inn offered.

"Ready to go to bed?" Asuka asked, snapping Shinji out of his thoughts and returning him to his state of drowsiness. Shinji smiled at the droopy-eyed princess, hoping to offer her solace by his side in their nice soft, king-sized bed. Asuka lazily clawed her way under the soft duvet and nestled herself into Shinji's arms. She was greeted immediately with a reaffirming hug followed by a sinking sensation as her body softly drifted into the bed.

"Yeah, princess" Shinji replied, before yawning. He gently lifted Asuka's chin so their eyes met before he gave her a good night kiss. She sleepily returned it, eyes closed, but missed and kissed the left side of Shinji's mouth. Almost instantaneously, Asuka and Shinji were lights out as the sandman felt pity for the young, tired couple and offered them the sanctuary of unadulterated sleep. The two had a long week ahead of them and the sleep that they were granted at that moment was much desired and deserved.


End file.
